Three judges sue Ministry of Justice for race discrimination – The Guardian

‘Three judges from black and Asian backgrounds are suing the Ministry of Justice for race discrimination and victimisation, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 19th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Race bias’ in justice system: Government to unveil action – BBC News

Posted December 19th, 2017 in criminal justice, diversity, equality, judiciary, news, racism, reports by sally

‘The justice secretary has pledged to implement a “key principle” of “change or explain” when racial discrimination is found in the justice system.’

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BBC News, 19th December 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme court vacancies lead to hopes for greater diversity – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The supreme court has advertised for several more justices in a recruitment process that could boost diversity on the UK’s highest court.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government fights back in judges’ pension row – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 12th, 2017 in appeals, employment tribunals, judiciary, news, pensions by sally

‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal has begun hearing the government’s challenge to a ruling that its transitional pension arrangements for 210 judges amount to unlawful age discrimination.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judicial Authorisation of Deprivation of Liberty – 39 Essex Chambers

‘A procedure has been established by the courts to enable the authorisation of the deprivation of liberty of an individual over the age of 16 who lacks capacity to consent to their confinement. This procedure, usually called the Re X procedure after the decision of Re X and others (Deprivation of Liberty) [2014] EWCOP 25 (and No 2 [2014] EWCOP 37), can be used in any setting where the DOLS authorisation procedure in Schedule A1 to the MCA 2005 cannot be used, and also where the person is between the age of 16 and 18.’

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39 Essex Chambers, December 2017

Source: www.39essex.com

Atkin Lecture by Lord Justice Beatson – Judicial Independence: Internal and External Challenges and Opportunities – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted December 5th, 2017 in judiciary, speeches by sally

‘Atkin Lecture by Lord Justice Beatson – Judicial Independence: Internal and External Challenges and Opportunities.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 1st December 2017

Source: www.judiciary.org.uk

Law Pod UK Ep 18: Do Judge Led Inquiries work? – 1 COR

Posted November 28th, 2017 in inquiries, judges, judiciary, news by sally

‘With ongoing public inquiries into tainted blood and historic child sexual abuse, Matt Hill and Gideon Barth discuss the effectiveness of judge led inquiries with Rosalind English.’

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Law Pod UK, 27th November 2017

Source: audioboom.com

UK judges to get scientific guides – BBC News

Posted November 22nd, 2017 in DNA, documents, evidence, judges, judiciary, news, statistics by sally

‘A UK Supreme Court judge has launched the first of a series of scientific guides for the judiciary.’

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BBC News, 22nd November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judges under ‘intolerable pressure’ from social media, says new Lord Chief Justice – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 22nd, 2017 in internet, judges, judiciary, news, rule of law by sally

‘Judges are being put under “intolerable pressure” by social media users who criticise their decisions, the Lord Chief Justice has said.’

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Daily Telegraph, 21st November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Rule of law in UK at risk after Brexit, says former supreme court president – The Guardian

‘The legal implications of leaving the EU have not been thought through, could overwhelm the supreme court and endanger the independence of the British judiciary, four senior retired judges have warned.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Independence and public inquiries – why you need it and how you can lose it – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 10th, 2017 in inquiries, judiciary, news by sally

‘There is a scene in “Yes Minister” in which the beleaguered Jim Hacker is contemplating a public inquiry into the latest failing of his department. He warily suggests to his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, that perhaps the judge chairing the inquiry could be leant on to come up with a favourable outcome. Sir Humphrey is outraged at this violation of the separation of powers. Surely the Minister wasn’t serious? After all, wouldn’t it be better to appoint a judge who didn’t need to be leant on in the first place?
Jim Duffy’s recent post on the Contaminated Blood Inquiry – and the importance of an inquiry being independent and being seen to be independent – brought this encounter to mind. The ever more frequent calls for a “judge-led inquiry” must be a source of both pride and concern to the judiciary. Pride as “judge-led” is a synonym for a forensic, thorough and above all independent tribunal to assess the matter in question. We will come to the concern later.

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th November 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Peers warn of low morale in judiciary and call for greater diversity – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration, select committees by sally

‘The dilapidated state of some courts, a shortage of support staff and heavy administrative burdens are depressing the judiciary’s morale, a parliamentary report has warned.’

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The Guardian, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judiciary needs a pay rise – says senior judge on £200k salary – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration by sally

‘The judiciary needs a pay rise, a senior judge paid more than £200,000 a year has said. Lord Justice Gross, who sits in the Court of Appeal, made the comments in a speech to the Institute of Maritime Law on Wednesday. He said: “No one goes into the Judiciary to make money. But there comes a point when pay is so far out of line with the private sector market that it endangers recruitment – of the very best – and retention. There is a danger in relying unduly on goodwill.”‘

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lord Reed at the Centre for Private Law, University of Edinburgh – Supreme Court

Posted November 2nd, 2017 in foreign jurisdictions, judges, judiciary, speeches, Supreme Court by sally

‘Lord Reed at the Centre for Private Law, University of Edinburgh: Comparative Law in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, 13 October 2017.’

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Supreme Court, 13th October 2017

Source: www.supremecourt.uk

Employment tribunals missing targets and haemorrhaging judges – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 20th, 2017 in employment tribunals, fees, judiciary, news, repayment by sally

‘Employment tribunals are failing to hit basic targets and judges are departing without being replaced, users have revealed. Minutes of the National User Group Meeting on employment tribunals report that tribunals are falling short of targets for completing and disposing of claims.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th October 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Hodge urges judges and lawyers to improve “scientific literacy” to understand expert evidence – Litigation Futures

Posted October 20th, 2017 in evidence, expert witnesses, judges, judiciary, legal profession, news by sally

‘A Supreme Court justice has called for judges and lawyers to improve their “scientific literacy” to ensure they did their job effectively in cases involving expert evidence.’

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Litigation Futures, 19th October 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Senior judge warns over ‘shaming’ impact of legal aid cuts – The Guardian

‘One of the most senior family court judges has warned about the impact of legal aid cuts and said it was “shaming” to preside over cases in which individuals are forced to represent themselves.’

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The Guardian, 13th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Solicitor General urges legal executives to seek judicial appointment – Legal Futures

Posted October 10th, 2017 in judicial appointments commission, judiciary, legal executives, news by sally

‘The Solicitor General has urged chartered legal executives to apply for judicial appointment in a bid to help make the bench more diverse.’

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Legal Futures, 10th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Brenda Hale sworn in as first female president of UK’s supreme court – The Guardian

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, Supreme Court, women by sally

‘Brenda Hale, the first female president of the supreme court, and Sir Ian Burnett, the youngest lord chief justice for 50 years, have been sworn in at the opening of the legal year.’

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The Guardian, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

McKenzie ban back to drawing board – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 18th, 2017 in codes of practice, consultations, fees, judiciary, Law Society, McKenzie friends, news by sally

‘HM Judiciary is set to reassess some of its proposals for regulating the fast-expanding “McKenzie friend” sector after a consultation on banning fee recovery received “large numbers of responses”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th September 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk