Igor Judge, Baron Judge, KC, PC (19 May 1941 – 7 November 2023), was an English judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the head of the judiciary,[1] from 2008 to 2013. He was previously President of the Queen's Bench Division, at the time a newly created post assuming responsibilities transferred from the office of lord chief justice. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Convenor of the Crossbench Peers in the House of Lords.[2]
The Lord Judge | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 1 October 2008 – 7 November 2023 | |
| Convenor of the Crossbench Peers | |
| In office 1 October 2019 – 27 April 2023 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Hope of Craighead |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Kinnoull |
| Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales | |
| In office 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2013 | |
| Nominated by | Jack Straw |
| Appointed by | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd |
| President of the Queen's Bench Division | |
| In office 3 October 2005 – 1 October 2008 | |
| Deputy | Sir Anthony May |
| Preceded by | The Lord Woolf (as Lord Chief Justice) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Anthony May |
| Deputy Chief Justice of England and Wales | |
| In office 2003–2005 | |
| Lord Chief Justice | The Lord Woolf |
| Preceded by | Sir Tasker Watkins[a] |
| Succeeded by | None[a] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Igor Judge 19 May 1941 Valletta, British Malta |
| Died | 7 November 2023 (aged 82) London, England |
| Political party | Crossbencher |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | |
| a. ^ Office vacant from 1993 to 2003. Non-statutory position. | |
Early life and education
editJudge was born in Malta on 19 May 1941,[3] to Raymond and Rosa Judge (née Micallef). Judge was educated at St. Edward's College, Malta, from 1947 to 1954 and The Oratory School in Woodcote in Oxfordshire from 1954 to 1959, where he was Captain of School and Captain of Cricket.[3] He was awarded an Open Exhibition to study History and Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1959, and he graduated BA in 1962.[3]
Legal career
editJudge was called to the bar (Middle Temple) in 1963 and became a Recorder in 1976 and Queen's Counsel in 1979.[3] From 1980 to 1986, he served on the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Council. In 1987, he was elected Leader of the Midland Circuit. On 10 October 1988, Judge was appointed a Justice of the High Court,[4] assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, and awarded the customary knighthood.[3][5] He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, a judge of the Court of Appeal, on 4 June 1996,[6] becoming a privy counsellor.[3]
Judge was the Senior Presiding Judge from 1998 to 2003,[3] when he became Deputy Chief Justice. He was not appointed Lord Chief Justice following the retirement of Lord Woolf in 2005 despite having served as his deputy; Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, then Master of the Rolls, was appointed instead.[citation needed]
On 3 October 2005, he was appointed the first President of the Queen's Bench Division,[7] when that post was split from that of Lord Chief Justice. In addition to that role, Judge was appointed Head of Criminal Justice in January 2007.[8]
Judge replaced Lord Phillips as Lord Chief Justice on 1 October 2008.[9] The same day, he was created a life peer as Baron Judge, of Draycote in the County of Warwickshire,[10] and he was introduced to the House of Lords five days later,[11] where he sat as a crossbencher.
In 2007 Lord Judge was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University,[12] and in 2010 was made an Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University as well as Kingston University. On 20 June 2012 he received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge.[13]
Judge retired as Lord Chief Justice at the end of September 2013.[14] He was Treasurer to the Middle Temple for the year 2014.[15]
From November 2013 until his death in November 2023, Judge served as a distinguished visitor to The Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London.[16]
Parliament
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Judge succeeded Lord Hope of Craighead as Convenor of the Crossbench Peers in 2019.[17]
Personal life and death
editJudge had a son and two daughters.[18]
Judge died on 7 November 2023, at the age of 82.[19]
Arms
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "President of the Courts of England and Wales". Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Part 2, section 7. Office of Public Sector Information. 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Lord Judge". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Senior Judiciary Biographies – Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales". Judiciary of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ "No. 51500". The London Gazette. 13 October 1988. p. 11473.
- ^ "No. 51565". The London Gazette. 20 December 1988. p. 14252.
- ^ "No. 54419". The London Gazette. 7 June 1996. p. 7803.
- ^ "No. 57779". The London Gazette. 7 October 2005. p. 12972.
- ^ "Head of Criminal Justice" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
- ^ "No. 58843". The London Gazette. 6 October 2008. p. 15221.
- ^ "No. 58845". The London Gazette. 7 October 2008. p. 15299.
- ^ House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings of Monday 6 October 2008 Archived 26 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Honorary graduates A-Z". Nottingham Trent University. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees 2012". University of Cambridge. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice, to Retire Next Summer" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ Middle Temple: Officers of the Inn Archived 20 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 2 February 2014)
- ^ "King's College London – Dickson Poon School of Law welcomes Lord Judge". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ "Lord Judge". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3184.
- ^ Telegraph, Obituaries (8 November 2023). "Lord Judge, brilliant Lord Chief Justice and unflinching champion of a free press – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3184.