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 is both a trial court and a court of appeal. The court was established in 1532 by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland,and was initially presided over by the Lord Chancellor of Scotland and had equal numbers of clergy and laity. The judges were all appointed from the King's Council. As of May 2017,the Lord President was Lord Carloway,who was appointed on 19 December 2015,and the Lord Justice Clerk was Lady Dorrian,who was appointed on 13 April 2016.
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court,the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff Court building in the Old Town in Edinburgh,or in dedicated buildings in Glasgow and Aberdeen. The High Court sometimes sits in various smaller towns in Scotland,where it uses the local sheriff court building. As an appeal court,the High Court sits only in Edinburgh. On one occasion the High Court of Justiciary sat outside Scotland,at Zeist in the Netherlands during the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial,as the Scottish Court in the Netherlands. At Zeist the High Court sat both as a trial court,and an appeal court for the initial appeal by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
His Majesty's Advocate,known as the Lord Advocate,is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. The Lord Advocate provides legal advice to the government on its responsibilities,policies,legislation and advising on the legal implications of any proposals brought forward by the government. The Lord Advocate is responsible for all legal advice which is given to the Scottish Government.
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland,after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Leeona Dorrian,Lady Dorrian,who was appointed to the position on 13 April 2016.
Lady Elish Frances Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer who currently serves as Lord Clerk Register. Angiolini currently works at the University of Oxford and has been identified as a potential candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor Election.
Alan Ferguson Rodger,Baron Rodger of Earlsferry was a Scottish academic,lawyer,and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
The Senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice,a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator:Lords of Session;Lords Commissioners of Justiciary;and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court. Whilst the High Court and Court of Session historically maintained separate judiciary,these are now identical,and the term Senator is almost exclusively used in referring to the judges of these courts.
Charles Erskine also spelled Areskine,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.
Thomas David King Murray,Lord Birnam,,known as Lord Murray between 1938 and 1941 and Sir David King Murray between 1941 and 1945,was a Scottish advocate and judge who served for two years as Unionist Member of Parliament (MP).
John Beckett,Lord Beckett is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed in 2016 as a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Court of Session.
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.
Stephen Errol Woolman,Lord Woolman,,is a Scottish legal academic,and a retired Senator of the College of Justice.
Colin John MacLean Sutherland,Lord Carloway,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 to 2015 and has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2000.
The University of Aberdeen School of Law is the law school of University of Aberdeen,located in Aberdeen,Scotland. Established in 1495,it is consistently ranked among the top 10 law schools in the United Kingdom.
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.
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.
Events from the year 2016 in Scotland.
Anna Isabel Poole,Lady Poole is a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. Prior to her appointment as Senator,she was a Judge of the UK Upper Tribunal,Administrative Appeals Chamber. Lady Poole was educated at Madras College,St Andrews,and at Somerville and Magdalen Colleges,Oxford.
Craig Robert Kindness Sandison,Lord Sandison is a Scottish judge who has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2021.
