Justices of The Supreme Court
25 July 2011
An Ad hoc selection commission has been established under section 27 and schedule 8 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (the Act) to select candidates to be recommended for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court. There is one immediate vacancy created by Lord Rodger's death and a further vacancy will arise in April 2012 when Lord Brown retires. The selection commission is anxious to attract applications from the widest field.
The statutory minimum qualification for appointment is to have held high judicial office for a period of at least two years, or to have satisfied the judicial appointment eligibility condition on a 15-year basis or to have been a qualifying practitioner for a period of at least 15 years. By convention there have for some years always been two Scottish Law Lords; and subsequently Justices of the Supreme Court. Lord Hope is currently the only Justice from Scotland. In making its recommendations the selection commission will have regard to the requirement under section 27(8) of the Act to "ensure that between them the Judges will have knowledge of, and experience of practice in, the law of each part of the United Kingdom."
The selection commission invites applications from eligible candidates who fulfil one of the above statutory requirements and meet the criteria set out in the Information Pack.
Additional information on the qualifications, the criteria, the selection process and how to apply can be found in the Information Pack which can be downloaded from the Supreme Court website (www.supremecourt.uk) or requested from Grainne Hawkins (tel: 020 7960 1906).
The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 19 September. Applications should be sent to:
Jenny Rowe, Chief Executive,
UK Supreme Court,
Parliament Square,
LONDON
SW1P 3BD