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05 June 2015 / Alec Samuels
Issue: 7655 / Categories: Features
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The name game (Pt 2)

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Why do we give our judges such curious titles, asks Alec Samuels

There are problems with the middle-ranking judges. The County Court Judge may well spend most of his judicial time in a particular county but his jurisdiction is not so circumscribed. The Circuit Judge will spend most of his judicial time in a particular circuit, but his jurisdiction is not so circumscribed. The Circuit Judge sits as a County Court Judge or a Crown Court Judge, or both. The lay persons appearing before him will almost certainly have no idea about circuits. The criminal judge is a Crown Court Judge, a title likely to be understood. The civil judge is nothing to do with the county, and should be described as a Civil Court Judge.

Too many cooks

Too many distinctions or categories of judge are undesirable. A certain hierarchy is acceptable, there are degrees of responsibility, but the sense of collegiate equality is good for judicial dignity and public perception. The Senior Circuit Judge, “a designated civil judge”, may be more

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