The independence of the judiciary is a cornerstone of liberty. Fundamental to that independence is an appointments process in which promotion does not depend upon the wishes of the government. The more senior the appointment the more important that principle is.
Any day now we shall know the identity of the next Lord Chief Justice.
My guess is that it will be the erudite and delightful Lady Justice Hallet. She once decided one of my bail applications in a most courteous manner, displaying in the process many of the qualities now required of a Lord Chief Justice such as “clear vision” (she rejected it) and “decisiveness” (she did so quickly).
Whoever is chosen to replace Lord Justice Judge will have been chosen by the most modern of selection procedures.
The new criteria for selection leave much to be desired, managing as they do to combine the bleedin’ obvious – “ability to write high quality judgements” – with the creepily political – “ability to modernise the judicial system … ability to lead change in encouraging a more diverse judiciary”. Continue reading “Can Mr Grayling’s vestigial organ protect judicial independence?”