Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

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Figure Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart in the robe of the Lord Chief Justice of England from the coronation series of Player's cigarettes in 1937

The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (dt. Lord Chief Justice ) was up to the British constitutional reform in 2005 as presiding judge of both the Criminal Division at the Court of Appeal and the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court 's second most senior judge of the Courts of England and Wales by the Lord Chancellor . Since the reform in 2005, the Lord Chief Justice has held the highest judicial position.

Originally, the three common law courts , the Court of Common Pleas , the Court of the King's Bench and Queen's Bench and the Court of the Exchequer each had their own Chief Justice. That of the Exchequer Court was the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer , that of the Common Pleas was named Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas ; only the chairman of the King's Bench or Queen's Bench was simply called Lord Chief Justice . The courts were merged in 1875, however, leaving only one Chief Justice.

There is also a Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland . The Scottish equivalent of the Lord Chief Justice is the Lord President of the Court of Session , which in personal union also the post of Justice General Lord at the High Court of Justiciary occupied.

Ian Burnett, Baron Burnett of Maldon is currently Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Lords Chief Justice, King's (Queen's) Bench, until 1875

Lords Chief Justice of England (later England and Wales), 1875 to present

Literature and web links