Reigning Supreme

Lord Neuberger will be the next president of the Supreme Court.

He will be sworn in at a special ceremony at the court on 1 October.

The current Master of the Rolls says he will do his “best to ensure that [the court] continues to play its proper role in upholding the rule of law”. His replacement as Master of the Rolls has not yet been announced.

Lord Phillips, who is retiring, says his successor “brings not only a wealth of judicial experience but the ability to lead a collegiate court”.

Lord Neuberger previously served as a Law Lord in the House of Lords, and as a Lord Justice of Appeal. His first judicial appointment was as a Recorder in 1990.

In 2006–07, he led a Bar Council investigation into widening access to the barristers’ profession. He has also chaired a committee looking at super-injunctions.

Daniel Barnett, barrister at Outer Temple Chambers, says: “Lord Neuberger is probably the most prominent and approachable judge in Britain today, well known for his report on super-injunctions last year and for permitting tweeting in court.

“He was an initial critic of the Supreme Court when it was set up in 2009, stating that there was a real danger of the court taking more power than its predecessor—the House of Lords judicial committee—and becoming an opposition movement to the government of the day.

“It is unlikely that Lord Neuberger, who has spoken out about the Supreme Court not abrogating the powers of an elected parliament, will take the UK Supreme Court in the direction of the US Supreme Court, which is often willing to strike down legislation. In a speech last year, he emphasised parliamentary sovereignty is a core element of the UK constitution. But this approach may be challenged, as more and more UK legislation is scrutinised by the higher courts for its compatibility with EU treaties and the European Convention on Human Rights.”