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04 February 2011 / Brice Dickson
Issue: 7451 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
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A marque of quality

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The UK Supreme Court has just completed its first calendar year, a period during which it consolidated its position as the country’s most authoritative source of judge-made law

Brice Dickson assesses the performance of the highest court in the land

The UK Supreme Court has just completed its first calendar year, a period during which it consolidated its position as the country’s most authoritative source of judge-made law. It issued judgments in 58 cases, slightly lower than the average output of the House of Lords in previous years, but it lost no opportunity to firmly assert its position as the new kid on the block. 

Personnel matters

On the personnel front, the vacancy created by Lord Neuberger’s appointment as Master of the Rolls in 2009 was finally filled in April 2010 by the elevation of Sir John Dyson. The new judge has not been given a peerage, but he has been awarded the courtesy title of “Lord”, as occurs in Scotland when judges are appointed to the Court of Session. One can

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