Court of Appeal judge (England and Wales)

A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice and the Crown Court, and represents the second highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. Despite the title, and unlike the former Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, they are not necessarily peers.

"Lord Justice of Appeal" redirects here. For other uses, see Court of Appeal in Ireland and List of Lords Justices of Appeal of Northern Ireland.
Not to be confused with Judge of Appeal, Lord of Appeal, or Justice of Appeal.
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales
Law of England and Wales
Administration
Civil and family courts
Criminal courts
Criminal prosecution
Legal profession

Appointment

The number of Lord Justices of Appeal was fixed at five by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1881, but has since been increased. Judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are selected from the ranks of senior judges, in practice High Court judges with lengthy experience, appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The appointment is open to all types of civilians, including ministers of state and members of parliament.

Jurisdiction

Applications for permission to appeal a ruling of an inferior court (usually from the Crown Court in criminal matters and the High Court of Justice in civil matters but in some instances from a County Court) are heard by a single Lord or Lady Justice of Appeal. A full appeal is heard by three Court of Appeal judges in the Civil Division. In the Criminal Division, a single judge hears appeals against conviction with two other judges of the Court of Appeal Criminal Division (typically, two High Court judges, or one High Court judge and one senior circuit judge). Appeals against sentence may be heard by a single Court of Appeal judge with another judge, or by two High Court judges. These types of Judges are assigned to handle the court of appeals. The Lord Justice of Appeals also handle high court, circuit court and magistrate cases with approval from the Lord Chief Justice. This allows the Court of Appeals jurisdiction to be expanded. These judges deal with unfair verdicts, convictions and cases that were deemed not dealt with properly by either parties.

Title and form of address

In court, a Lord Justice of Appeal is referred to as My Lord or Your Lordship, and a Lady Justice of Appeal is referred to as My Lady or Your Ladyship. The style of "Lord Justice of Appeal" was prescribed by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1877, but the term "Lady Justice" was used in practice by women soon after they were promoted to sit as judges of the Court of Appeal, and the term was included in the Courts Act 2003. When there is already or has until recently been a judge with the same surname as a new appointee, the new judge will often use a first name as part of his or her judicial title. Many judges have done this, such as Lord Justice Lawrence Collins (Sir Lawrence Antony Collins).

When referring to a Lord or Lady Justice of Appeal in a legal context, the judge is identified by use of the surname (or first name and surname if appropriate), followed by the letters "LJ". For example, Lord Justice Bloggs or Lady Justice Bloggs would be referred to as "Bloggs LJ". Where several judges are listed the double letters 'LJJ' are used; for example, "Bloggs, Smith and Jones LJJ".

A knighthood is granted to a man upon appointment to the High Court, usually made a Knight Bachelor; by convention, a woman on appointment to the High Court becomes a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE)). By convention judges of the Court of Appeal are sworn of the Privy Council, entitling them to the honorific "The Right Honourable".

Court dress

Formerly, in all instances in court, a Court of Appeal judge's apparel consisted of a black silk gown, court coat or waistcoat and a short bench wig. In cases heard by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division, this remains the court dress. In cases heard in the Civil Division, judges wear a one-piece, zip-up robe onto which are stitched vertical, gold, clerical bands and no wig. These bands are red for High Court judges, pink for High Court Masters and Insolvency and Companies Court Judges, and blue for District Judges. On ceremonial occasions more elaborate robes and wigs are worn.

See also

References
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