There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance,in line with the order of the courts in which they sit,so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales. Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales,particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.
Sir John Bernard Goldring is a British judge. He currently sits as the President of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal,and serves as the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner. He formerly sat on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Heather Carol Hallett,Baroness Hallett,,is a retired British judge of the Court of Appeal and a crossbench life peer. The first woman to chair the Bar Council and the fifth woman to sit in the Court of Appeal,Hallett led the independent inquest into the 7/7 bombings. In April 2019,she was appointed Chair of the Security Vettings Appeal Panel. In December 2021,she was announced as the chair of the public inquiry into the UK Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 29 June 2022,the Government accepted Baroness Hallett's proposed terms of reference for the inquiry,with minor changes suggested by the devolved administrations.
A justice of the High Court,commonly known as a High Court judge,is a judge of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales,and represents the third-highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne justices and wear red and black robes.
Sir Adrian Bruce Fulford is a retired Lord Justice of Appeal. From 2017 to 2019,he was the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner,and was the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 2019,succeeding Lady Justice Hallett.
Dame Anne Judith Rafferty,is an English jurist,who served as a Lady Justice of Appeal of England and Wales from 2011 to 2020.
Dame Victoria Madeleine Sharp,,PC is a British barrister and judge. She has been the President of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice since 2019.
The Judges' Council is a body in England and Wales that,representing the judiciary,advises the Lord Chief Justice on judicial matters. It has its historical roots in the original Council of the Judges of the Supreme Court,created by the Judicature Act 1873 to oversee the new Supreme Court of Judicature. This body initially met regularly,reforming the procedure used by the circuit courts,and the new High Court of Justice but met less regularly as time went on,meeting only twice between 1900 and 1907,with a gap of ten years between meetings in 1940 and 1950 respectively. After relative inactivity,it was eventually wound up through the Supreme Court Act 1981,which contained no provisions for its continued existence,something Denis Dobson attributes to newer bodies which performed the duties the Council had originally been created to do.
Roger John Laugharne Thomas,Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd,FLSW is a British judge. He served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2013 to 2017.
The Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales is a member of the Court of Appeal appointed by the Lord Chief Justice 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.
Sir Timothy Victor Holroyde,PC,styled The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Holroyde,is an English Court of Appeal judge,formerly a judge of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales,Queen's Bench Division. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in October 2017. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 2017. In 2015 he was appointed a member of the Sentencing Council for England and Wales,and served as its Chairman between 2018 and 2022. In June 2022 he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal,succeeding Lord Justice Fulford.
Sue Lascelles Carr,Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill,is an English jurist and life peer who has served as Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales since 1 October 2023. She is the first woman to serve as the head of the judiciary of England and Wales since the inception of the office of Lord Chief Justice in the 13th century. Carr previously served as a High Court judge from 2013 to 2020 and a Lady Justice of Appeal from 2020 to 2023.
Dame Geraldine Mary Andrews,,styled The Rt. Hon. Lady Justice Andrews,is a Lady Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Sir Stephen John Irwin,is a retired British judge and barrister. From September 2016 until October 2020,he was a Lord Justice of Appeal. From May 2006 to 2016,he served as a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Dame Kathryn Mary Thirlwall,DBE,styled The Rt Hon Lady Justice Thirlwall,is an English judge of the Court of Appeal,and from January 2020 to September 2021 was the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. She practised as a barrister from 1982,was a High Court judge from April 2010,and was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in February 2017.
Dame Elisabeth Mary Caroline Laing,,styled The Rt. Hon. Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing,is a Lady Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Dame Nerys Angharad Jefford, styled The Honourable Mrs Justice Jefford, DBE is a High Court Judge of England and Wales.
Sir Peter Donald Fraser PC,styled The Right Honourable Lord Justice Fraser,is a Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Dame Karen Margaret Steyn,DBE is a British High Court judge.
