Arthur Christian Luft (21 July 1915 – 21 June 2009) was a Manx judge, a former First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls and a Member of the Legislative Council of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. He first set up practice in the Isle of Man in 1947 and in 1972 was appointed

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and thus sat on the Legislative Council ex officio. In 1974 he was made

Second Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also prom ...

before being promoted to

First Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also pro ...

Clerk of the Rolls The Clerk of the Rolls ( gv, Cleragh ny Lioaryn) is a judge and Head of the Judiciary in the Isle of Man. This position was formerly distinct from that of the Deemsters but now the Clerk of the Rolls is held jointly with the office of First Deem ...

and Deputy Governor in 1980. He was the first First Deemster not to have an ''ex officio'' seat in the LegCo, the right having been removed by an

Act of Tynwald An Act of Tynwald is a statute passed by Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. Structure Acts of Tynwald are structured in a similar format to Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Commencement Originally, each Act began with the f ...

in 1980. He retired as Deemster in 1988 but was elected by the

House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...

to sit on the Legislative Council, which he did for 10 years before retiring in 1998. He was appointed CBE in the 1988 Birthday Honours.

References

1915 births 2009 deaths Manx judges Manx politicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{IsleofMan-bio-stub