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Supreme justice: 2019 in review

30 January 2020 / Brice Dickson
Issue: 7872 / Categories: Features
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Brice Dickson outlines the Supreme Court highlights for 2019
  • The court issued 60 decisions in 2019, compared to 67 in 2018 and an annual average of 68 since 2010.

During 2019 the UK Supreme Court gained a higher profile than at any time since its creation in 2019. This was mainly due to its decision in the prorogation case (R(Miller) v The Prime Minister ([2019] UKSC 41), where by 11 to 0 the court ruled that the prime minister, Boris Johnson, had supplied no justifiable reason for advising the Queen to exercise the prerogative power to prorogue Parliament for a period of nearly five weeks. Without doubt the decision marks the high-water mark in the court’s short history to date. It drew huge media attention to the role of the court and to the character of its formidable president, Lady Hale.

In October the court marked its tenth anniversary by having an open day. Among other events there was a talk by the court’s chief executive, Mike Ormerod, and the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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