Lord Chief Justice in United Kingdom

The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the president of the courts in England and Wales and his statutory responsibilities include judicial deployment, the provision of welfare, training and guidance to the judiciary, and representing the views of the judiciary to the Lord Chancellor and ministers of the Crown.

Lord Chief Justice and the HM Courts and Tribunals Service

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service (an agency of the Ministry of Justice) operates on the basis of a partnership between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice. The Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice will not intervene (whether directly or indirectly) in the day-to-day operations of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service and have placed the responsibility for overseeing the leadership and direction of HM Courts and Tribunals Service in the hands of its Board. The Chief Executive is responsible for the day-today operations and administration of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

All staff of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service have a joint responsibility to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice for the effective, efficient and speedy operation of the courts and tribunals. Staff of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service have a responsibility both to the Lord Chancellor and to the Lord Chief Justice to ensure that any advice they give is high-quality, impartial, transparent and honest.

Lord Chief Justice in North Ireland

Head of the judiciary of Northern Ireland, President of the Court of Appeal, President of the Crown Court and Chairman of NIJAC.

The current Lord Chief Justice is Sir Declan Morgan QC.

History of the Lord Chief Justice

The following commentary about Lord Chief Justice in the Churchill Era is produced by the Churchill College (Cambridge): Head of the judiciary in England and Wales, since the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005; prior to that was the second-highest judge of the English and Welsh courts, after the Lord Chancellor and head of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.

Resources

See Also

Lord Chancellor
Lord Justice of Appeal
HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Appointment of Judges
Lord Speaker
List of Scotch Courts
High Court of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Administration of Justice
Secretary of State for Justice

Further Reading

• Lord Chief Justice in the Encyclopedia of Britain
• Lord Chief Justice in the Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary
• Lord Chief Justice in the Halsbury’s Laws of England
• Lord Chief Justice in the Stroud’s Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases
• Lord Chief Justice in the Jowitt’s Dictionary of English Law
• Lord Chief Justice in the New Oxford Companion to Law
• Lord Chief Justice in the Words and Phrases Legally Defined
• Lord Chief Justice in the Oxford Dictionary of Law

Lord Chief Justice in relation with the Courts and Tribunals in England

The LCJ is the President of the Courts of England and Wales and Head of the Judiciary. The LCJ is also the Head of Criminal Justice (the Head of Civil Justice is the Master of the Rolls).

Definition of Lord Chief Justice

This the name given to the judge who presides over the queen’s bench division of the high court.

Lord Chief Justice Meaning, as used in the UK Parliament

Lord Chief Justice is the name given to the judge who presides over the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.

Since the passing of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 the Lord Chief Justice is now Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales, a role previously performed by the Lord Chancellor.

The Lord Chief Justice is also the President of the Courts of England and Wales and responsible for representing the views of the judiciary to Parliament and the Government.