header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
01 February 2021 / Brice Dickson
Issue: 7918 / Categories: In court , Features , In Court , Profession
printer mail-detail

Annual report: The Supreme Court in 2020

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
37603
Brice Dickson reports on the Supreme Court in 2020
  • The Justices & judgment writing.
  • Prominent cases.
  • Institutional issues.

The Justices

At the end of 2020 the Supreme Court looked very different from how it did a year earlier. In January it acquired both a new president (Lord Reed, who was also made a life peer, replaced Lady Hale) and a new deputy president (Lord Hodge, replacing Lord Reed). As well as Lady Hale, Lords Carnwath, Wilson and Kerr all retired, the four new Justices being Lords Hamblen, Leggatt, Burrows and Stephens.

Statistical overview

In 2020 the Supreme Court gave judgment in just 53 cases, the lowest annual number to date and a considerable drop from the average of 68 cases per year. 23 of the cases had been heard by the court in 2019. It’s not clear whether Covid-19 restrictions had any bearing on the throughput of cases. The cases embraced one reference (by the attorney general for Northern Ireland) and 59 appeals (including four cross-appeals).

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Company conspiracy clarified
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
NLJ this week: Home is where intent lies
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
NLJ this week: Farewell to Chancery
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
NLJ this week: Silence carries a price
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
NLJ this week: Costs sting after a courtroom gamble
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll