The Judiciary

• There are types of judges: Superior judges and Inferior judges.
• Superior judges are those in the Supreme Court, CoA and the High Court.
• Inferior Judges sit in the Crown and County Courts. They also include tribunals judges and circuit and district judges.
• The qualifications for judges are set out in the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 and was amended by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.
• The former system of appointment was considered secretive and so was changed by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
• No candidate can be appointed unless recommended by the Commission. The Commission must consult with the Lord Chief Justice and other judges of equivalent experience before recommending a candidate.
• The Commission has listen five desirable qualities:

  1. Intellectual Capacity
  2. Personal qualities like integrity, independence of mind, sound judgment, decisiveness, objectivity, and willingness to learn.
  3. Ability to understand and deal fairly
  4. Authority and communication skills
  5. Efficiency
• A potential judge must be of good character and cannot be considered if they have a criminal conviction.
• Positions are advertised in newspapers and online and candidates fill in an application form on which they nominate 3-6 referees. The best candidates are then interviewed and the final selection is made and recommended to the Lord Chancellor for appointment.
• Training is carried out by the Judicial College are there are three key elements:

  • Knowledge of substantive law
  • Acquisition and improvement of judicial skills
  • Social context within which judging occurs
• Once a lawyer is appointed they are set on a course which lasts between three and five days. They are then assigned an experienced judge who will act as a mentor.