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A sheriff court is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland,with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to £100,000,and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason,murder,and rape,which are in the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court of Justiciary. Though the sheriff courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court over armed robbery,drug trafficking,and sexual offences involving children,the vast majority of these cases are heard by the High Court. Each court serves a sheriff court district within one of the six sheriffdoms of Scotland. Each sheriff court is presided over by a sheriff,who is a legally qualified judge,and part of the judiciary of Scotland.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland,and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by His Majesty's Lord Advocate,who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution,along with the sheriffdom procurators fiscal. In Scotland,virtually all prosecution of criminal offences is undertaken by the Crown. Private prosecutions are extremely rare.
Colin Boyd,Baron Boyd of Duncansby,is a former Scottish judge who was a Senator of the College of Justice from June 2012 to June 2024. He was Lord Advocate for Scotland from 24 February 2000 until his resignation on 4 October 2006. On 11 April 2006,Downing Street announced that Colin Boyd would take a seat as a crossbench life peer;however,he took the Labour whip after resigning as Lord Advocate. He was formally introduced in the House of Lords on 3 July 2006. On the day SNP leader Alex Salmond was elected First Minister of Scotland,it was reported that Boyd was quitting the Scottish Bar to become a part-time consultant with public law solicitors Dundas &Wilson. He told the Glasgow Herald,"This is a first. I don't think a Lord Advocate has ever done this—left the Bar and become a solicitor."
Lady Elish Frances Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer who is a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and has served as the Principal of St Hugh's College,Oxford since 2012;she is a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. In June 2023,she was appointed to the office of Lord Clerk Register by King Charles III,the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century.
Alan Ferguson Rodger,Baron Rodger of Earlsferry was a Scottish academic,lawyer,and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
In Scotland a sheriff principal is a judge in charge of a sheriffdom with judicial,quasi-judicial,and administrative responsibilities. Sheriffs principal have been part of the judiciary of Scotland since the 11th century. Sheriffs principal were originally appointed by the monarch of Scotland,and evolved into a heritable jurisdiction before appointment was again vested in the Crown and the monarch of the United Kingdom following the passage of the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746.
Arthur Campbell Hamilton,Lord Hamilton,,is a Scottish judge and served as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session from November 2005 until 8 June 2012,succeeding Lord Cullen.
Events from the year 2006 in Scotland.
Alan Turnbull,Lord Turnbull is a Scottish lawyer,and a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the country's Supreme Courts. He was one of the lead prosecutors in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial.
Francis Mulholland,Lord Mulholland,is a Scottish judge who has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2016. He previously served from 2011 to 2016 as Lord Advocate,one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland and the country's chief Law Officer,and as Solicitor General,the junior Law Officer.
Alexander Featherstonhaugh Wylie,Lord Kinclaven was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland.
Matthew Gerard Clarke,Lord Clarke,PC was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session.
Leeona June Dorrian,Lady DorrianPC,KC is a Scottish advocate and judge who has served as the Lord Justice Clerk since 2016. She is the first woman to hold the position. She has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2005,having served as a temporary judge for three years prior.
Iain Duncan Macphail,Lord Macphail was a Scottish lawyer and Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the country's Supreme Courts.
Alex Prentice KC is a leading Scottish lawyer.
Angus Stewart,Lord Stewart is a Scottish lawyer and retired judge. From 2010 to 2016 he was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland.
Dorothy Ruth Bain is a Scottish advocate who has served as Lord Advocate since 2021. She is the second woman to hold the office after Lady Elish Angiolini KC. Bain previously served as the Principal Advocate Depute from 2009 to 2011,the first woman to hold the prosecutorial position in Scotland.
Events from the year 2004 in Scotland.
The judiciary of Scotland are the judicial office holders who sit in the courts of Scotland and make decisions in both civil and criminal cases. Judges make sure that cases and verdicts are within the parameters set by Scots law,and they must hand down appropriate judgments and sentences. Judicial independence is guaranteed in law,with a legal duty on Scottish Ministers,the Lord Advocate and the Members of the Scottish Parliament to uphold judicial independence,and barring them from influencing the judges through any form of special access.
The Sheriff of Perth was historically a royal official,appointed for life,who was responsible for enforcing justice in Perth,Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date,following the Jacobite uprising of 1745,the hereditary sheriffs were replaced by salaried sheriff-deputes,qualified advocates who were members of the Scottish Bar.
References
- 1 2 "Lord Beckett joins Scottish bench". Scottish Legal News . 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- 1 2 "Reforming prosecutor to be next Solicitor General". The Herald . 6 October 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- 1 2 "Brand new job, 6 hours in ... and knives are out for Elish". The Scotsman . 6 October 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "McConnachie is Principal Advocate Depute". The Journal. Law Society of Scotland. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ↑ "Scotland's Lord Advocate Sworn In". BBC News . 12 October 2006. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
- ↑ "Radical change as second top law officer appointed". The Herald . 24 May 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Law officer Angiolini reappointed". BBC News. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ↑ "Appointment of sheriff" (Press release). Scottish Government. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
- ↑ "Senators appointed to College of Justice". Scottish Government website. 11 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ↑ "Five new Senators named". Faculty of Advocates website. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ↑ "Iain Packer found guilty of Emma Caldwell murder". BBC News. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ↑ "Two senators appointed to the Inner House" (PDF). judiciary.scot. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ↑ "Privy Council appointment: March 2024" (PDF). GOV.UK. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
