The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord Clerk Register, the status of the office increased over time and the Justice-Clerk came to claim a seat on the Bench by practice and custom. This was recognised by the Privy Council of Scotland in 1663 and the Lord Justice Clerk became the effective head of the reformed High Court of Justiciary in 1672 when the court was reconstituted. The Lord Justice Clerk now rarely presides at criminal trials in the High Court, with most of his or her time being spent dealing with civil and criminal appeals. The Lord Justice Clerk has the title in both the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

and the High Court of Justiciary and, as ''President of the Second Division of the Inner House'', is in charge of the Second Division of Judges of the Inner House of the Court of Session. The office is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, who was appointed to the position on 13 April 2016. In modern times, most judges appointed as Lord Justice Clerk later become Lord President of the Court of Session.

Officeholders

* William de Camera - Justice-Clerk to David II (1324–71) * Adam Forester * Before 1374: Alan de Lawedre of Whitslaid & Haltoun, etc. * 1426: James de Lawedre (d. after 1459)(Grandson of Alan) * 1478: William Halket of Belsico * 1489/90: Richard Lawson of Heirigs * 1507: James Henderson of Fordel (k. Battle of Flodden 1513) * 1513: James Wishhart of Pittarrow * 1524: Nicholas Crawfurd of Oxengangs * 1537: Adam Otterburn of Reidhall * 1537: Thomas Scot of Pitgorn * 1539: Thomas Bellenden of Auchnoule * 1540: Henry Balnaves * 1547: Sir John Bellenden of Auchnole & Broughton (d.1576) * 1577: Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnole & Broughton (d.1591) * 1591: Sir John Cockburn of Ormiston (d.1623) * 1625: Sir George Elphinstone of Blythswood * 1634: Sir James Carmichael of that Ilk * 1637: Sir John Hamilton of Orbiston * 1651: Sir Robert Moray * 1663: Sir John Home, of Renton, Lord Renton * 1671: Sir James Lockhart of Lee (d. 4 June 1674) * 1674: Sir William Lockhart of Lee * 1675: Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie, Lord Craigie * 1680: Richard Maitland, 4th Earl of Lauderdale * 1684: Sir James Foulis of Colinton, Lord Colinton * 1688: Sir John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair * 1690:

Sir George Campbell Sir George Campbell of Cessnock in Ayrshire was a 17th-century statesman. His lineage was from the Campbells of Loudoun. His father was Sir Hugh Campbell and his mother was Elizabeth Campbell.G. Harvey Johnston, ''The Heraldry of the Campbells' ...

of Cessnock * 1692: Sir Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston * 1699: Sir John Maxwell of Pollok, Lord Pollok * 1702: Roderick Mackenzie of Prestonhall, Lord Prestonhall * 1704: Sir William Hamilton of Whitelaw, Lord Whitelaw * 1705: Sir Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston * 1710: Sir James Erskine, Lord Grange * 1735:

Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton (1692 – 13 December 1766) was a notable Scottish judge and Lord Justice Clerk. Family Andrew Fletcher was born at Saltoun Castle near Pencaitland, east of Edinburgh, the son of Henry Fletcher of Saltoun (d.1733 ...

* 1748:

Charles Erskine, Lord Tinwald Charles Erskine also spelled Areskine (1680 – 5 April 1763), of Tinwald and Barjarg, Dumfries, and Alva, Clackmannan was Lord Advocate, a Scottish judge, and a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1722 to 1742. Life Erskine ...

* 1763: Gilbert Elliot, Lord Minto * 1766:

Thomas Miller, Lord Barskimming Sir Thomas Miller, 1st Baronet Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE (3 November 1717 – 27 September 1789), known as Lord Barskimming (1766–88) and Lord Glenlee (from 1788) during his judicial service, was a Scottish advocate, judge, ...

* 1787:

Robert Macqueen, Lord Braxfield Robert McQueen, Lord Braxfield (4 May 1722 – 30 May 1799) was a Scottish advocate and judge. Life McQueen was born at Braxfield House near Lanark on 4 May 1722, son of John McQueen. He studied law at Edinburgh University and was admitted t ...

* 1799: David Rae, Lord Eskgrove * 1804:

Charles Hope, Lord Granton Rt Hon Lord Charles Hope FRSE (29 June 1763 – 30 October 1851) was a Scottish politician and judge. Life Hope was born on 29 June 1763, the eldest son of Mary Breton, the only daughter of Eliab Breton of Forty Hill, Enfield (a granddaughter o ...

* 1811:

David Boyle, Lord Boyle David Boyle, Lord Boyle FRSE (26 July 1772 – 4 February 1853) was a British judge. Life Boyle was born at Shewalton near Irvine on 26 July 1772, the son of Elizabeth Dunlop, daughter of Professor Alexander Dunlop. and the Honorable Reverend P ...

* 1841: John Hope, Lord Hope * 1858: John Inglis, Lord Glencorse * 1867: George Patton, Lord Glenalmond * 1869:

James Moncreiff, Lord Moncreiff Sir James Wellwood Moncreiff, 9th Baronet, with the judicial title Lord Moncreiff (1776–1851) was a Scottish lawyer and judge. Life He was the second son of the Rev. Sir Henry Moncreiff Wellwood (1750–1827) of Tullibole in Kinross-shire, ...

* 1888: John Macdonald, Lord Kingsburgh * 1915: Charles Dickson, Lord Dickson * 1922: Robert Munro, Lord Alness * 1933: Craigie Aitchison, Lord Aitchison * 1941: Thomas Cooper, Lord Cooper * 1947:

Alexander Moncrieff, Lord Moncrieff Alexander Moncrieff, Lord Moncrieff FRSE (14 August 1870 – 5 August 1949), was a Scottish lawyer and judge, who was created a Senator of the College of Justice. Life Alexander Moncrieff was the third son of Hope Margaret Pattison and her hus ...

* 1947: George Thomson, Lord Thomson * 1962: William Grant, Lord Grant * 1972: John Wheatley, Baron Wheatley * 1985:

Donald Ross, Lord Ross Donald MacArthur Ross, Lord Ross, PC, FRSE (born 29 March 1927) is a former Lord Justice Clerk; the second most senior judge in Scotland. Personal life He was born in Dundee and educated at the High School of Dundee and the University of Edinbur ...

* 1997: William Cullen, Lord Cullen * 2001:

Brian Gill, Lord Gill Brian Gill, Lord Gill, (born 25 February 1942) is a retired Scottish judge and legal academic. He served as Lord President and Lord Justice General from June 2012 until May 2015. Gill previously served as Lord Justice Clerk from 2001 to 2012, ...

* 2012:

Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway Colin John MacLean Sutherland, Lord Carloway (born 20 May 1954), is a Scottish advocate and judge who has served as the Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General since 2015. He was previously Lord Justice Clerk from 2012 t ...

* 2016: Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian

References

*For listings to 1637 (may be wanting) refer to ''The Staggering State of the Scots' Statesmen'', by Sir John Scot of Scotstarvet, Director of Chancery, Edinburgh, 1754, p. 183. {{High Court of Justiciary Lists of judges in Scotland