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NLJ this week: Exploring the reasoning behind For Women at the Supreme Court

02 May 2025
Issue: 8114 / Categories: Legal News , Equality , Discrimination , Human rights , Diversity
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The Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers has sparked heated debate and a lot of confusion about what it means exactly in practice. In this week’s NLJ, Nicholas Dobson takes an in-depth look at some of the legal arguments behind the judgment.

As Dobson writes, the unanimous judgment is ‘a major exercise in statutory interpretation’, on the meaning of ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010), and the effect on this of a gender recognition certificate. He explores some of the statutory and caselaw background to the decision.

Dobson writes: ‘The court considered the concept of sex to be “of foundational importance” in EqA 2010. It would be surprising if “sex” and “woman” were intended to have different meanings in different parts of EqA 2010.’ 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
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