Global InformationLord Chief Justice of England and Wales information
| Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales | |
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 The Judiciary of England and Wales | |
 The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill since 1 October 2023 | |
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Nominator | Judicial Appointments Commission |
| Appointer | Monarch of the United Kingdom, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor[1] |
| Formation | 29 November 1880 |
| Website | https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/lord-chief-justice/ |
| This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
| Law of England and Wales |
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The Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales (alternatively Lord Chief Justice when the holder is male) is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and Welsh courts, surpassed by the lord chancellor, who normally sat in the highest court. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 changed the roles of judges, creating the position of President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and altering the duties of the lord chief justice and the lord chancellor. The lord chief justice ordinarily serves as president of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and head of criminal justice, meaning its technical processes within the legal domain, but under the 2005 Act can appoint another judge to these positions. The lord chancellor became a purely executive office, with no judicial role.
The equivalent in Scotland is the lord president of the Court of Session, who also holds the post of lord justice-general in the High Court of Justiciary. The equivalent in Northern Ireland is the lord chief justice of Northern Ireland, local successor to the lord chief justice of Ireland of the pre-Partition era.
Sue Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, has been Lady Chief Justice since October 2023. She is the first female holder of the office.[2]
- ^ "Appointment of new Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales". Press Release. United Kingdom Government. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Hymas, Charles (26 September 2023). "Britain's most senior judge to be called Lady Chief Justice". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 September 2023.