‘From 1 October 2023, England and Wales will have its first female Lord Chief Justice (“LCJ”), with the recent news that His Majesty The King was “pleased to approve” Dame Sue Carr’s appointment to the office. Her appointment follows the announcement of the retirement of current Lord Chief Justice The Rt Hon. Lord Burnett at the end of September. In light of the news of change to England and Wales’ highest judicial office, questions will inevitably be asked about the role and its power within the judiciary and in the constitution as a whole. With this in mind, I want to make some initial observations about the role of the LCJ, noting that we may not necessarily understand the nature of LCJ power simply by reading relevant statutory provisions, since the power of the LCJ is partly a function of the role and partly of the character, personality and skills of the individual holding it. What this suggests is that the change in office-holder may prove to be more significant than it appears at first.’
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UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd July 2023
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org