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20 March 2026 / Nicholas Dobson
Issue: 8154 / Categories: Features , Profession
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All’s well that ends well?

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Nicholas Dobson on judicial shortcomings & Shakespeare

As eminent British lawyer and judge, the late Robert Megarry, remarked in his 2005 book, A New Miscellany at Law: ‘For centuries England has been fortunate in the judges that it has produced’. While that remains so, there have been occasional instances of judges falling slightly short.

The appearance of bias

Apart from matters like offensive or controversial social media posts, violating the dignity of judicial office, there is also apparent bias, as in R v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, ex p Pinochet Ugarte (No 2) [2000] 1 AC 119. There, the House of Lords set aside its own decision because Lord Hoffmann was connected to Amnesty International, an intervener in the case against the former Chilean dictator. While there was no suggestion of actual bias, there was nevertheless the appearance of bias.

More recently, Mr Justice Turner, in R (on the application of Ladybill Ltd) v Sheffield Magistrates Court [2025] EWHC 1169 (Admin), was satisfied that a district judge’s reasons

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