The Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales is a member of the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

appointed by the

Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

to supervise the Presiding Judges for the various judicial circuits of England and Wales. The Senior Presiding Judge is responsible for deployment and personnel issues for all circuits and acts as a "general point of liaison" for the courts, judiciary and Government. The post dates to the appointment in 1983 of Sir Tasker Watkins, who remains the longest-serving holder of the office. The arrangement was put on a statutory footing with the enactment of the

Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the legal profession and courts of England and Wales. The Act was the culmination of a series of reports and reforms that started with ...

Presiding Judges

In each circuit, there are two Presiding Judges appointed by the Lord Chief Justice to preside each of the six circuits in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

, with the exception of the South-Eastern circuit which is supervised by the

and two High Court judges. The judge is responsible for the deployment of the judiciary and allocation of cases and for the general supervision of the judiciary in the circuit.

List of Senior Presiding Judges

*1983: Sir Tasker Watkins VC GBE *1991: Sir Anthony McCowan *1995: Sir Robin Auld *1998:

Sir Igor Judge Igor Judge, Baron Judge, (born 19 May 1941) is an English former judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the head of the judiciary, from 2008 to 2013. He was previously President of the Queen's Bench Division, at the ...

*2003: Sir John Thomas *1 January 2007: Sir Brian Leveson *1 January 2010: Sir John Goldring *1 January 2013: Sir Peter Gross *1 January 2016: Sir Adrian Fulford *3 April 2017: Dame Julia Macur *1 January 2020: Dame Kathryn Thirlwall *1 October 2021: Sir Charles Haddon-Cave

Deputy Senior Presiding Judge

Following the enactment of the

Constitutional Reform Act 2005 The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c 4) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, relevant to UK constitutional law. It provides for a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the previous appellate jurisdiction of the Law Lo ...

, increased duties for the Senior Presiding Judge prompted the

to appoint a deputy. The office has twice fallen vacant for 21 months, each time after the incumbent became Senior Presiding Judge. *1 January 2006: Sir Brian Leveson *1 January 2007: Vacant *October 2008: Sir John Goldring *1 January 2010: Vacant *3 October 2011: Sir Peter Gross *1 January 2013: Vacant *1 January 2015: Sir Adrian Fulford *1 January 2016: Dame Julia Macur *10 October 2017: Dame Kathryn Thirlwall *1 January 2020: Sir Charles Haddon-CaveAppointment of Deputy Senior Presiding Judge
/ref> *29 November 2021: Sir Andrew Edis

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senior Presiding Judge For England And Wales Judiciary of England and Wales