Judicial appointment

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 has at last reached the statute book. Under Part 4, the Judicial Appointments Commission is established and under Schedule 10 the size and membership of the Commission is set out. For the first time in history only a person selected by an independent commission may be appointed to the judicial offices of Lord Chief Justice, Lord Justice of Appeal, High Court judge, circuit judge, district judge and to certain positions in tribunals. The Judicial Appointments Commission, which is due to be launched in April 2006, will be the non-departmental body responsible for the selection and recommendation of people to these offices. The chairman is to be a lay member and the other 14 commissioners comprised as follows: five must be judicial members, two professional members, five lay members, one lay justice member and one the holder of an office listed in Part 3 Schedule 12 (includes arbitrators and panel members of a number of tribunals).