Vocabulary notes:

puisne judge	молодший суддя
custody	контроль, опіка
the Great Seal	велика державна печатка
Letters Patent	публічно-правовий акт наділення прав
the Privy Council	таємна рада (у Великій Британії)
the Chancery Division	канцлерське відділення (Вищого суду правосуддя у Великобританії)
circuit judge	окружний суддя

Judges

1. The Lord Chief Justice (L.C.J.) is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and is head of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and of the Queen’s Bench Division as well as being a member of the House of Lords.

2. The Master of the Rolls (M.R.) is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and is a head of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) and also supervises the admission of solicitors to the Rolls of the Supreme Court.

3. The President of the Family Division is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, and is responsible for the work of this Division of the High Court.

4. The Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are known as Law Lords and are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister from among existing judges or barristers of at least fifteen years’ standing. They are life peers and adjudicate in appeal cases heard in the House of Lords. They are also members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. There are nine Law Lords.

5. Lords Justice of Appeal are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister from among existing judges or barristers of at least fifteen years’ standing. They are judges of the Court of Appeal. They are twenty-three in number.

6. Judges of the High Court are known as puisne judges and are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor from among barristers or solicitors of at least ten years’ standing or circuit judges of at least two years’ standing. Twelve judges are assigned to the Chancery Division, forty-five to the Queen’s Bench Division and sixteen to the Family Division of the High Court.

All the judges referred to in (a) to (f) above hold office during good behaviour and may be removed by the Crown on an address presented by both Houses of Parliament. Their salaries are fixed by statute and form a charge on the Consolidated Fund. The effect of these two important provisions is to ensure judicial independence: a vital feature in the administration of law and justice within the State.

Judges of the High Court retire at the age of 75, and are eligible for pensions granted by statute.

1. Circuit Judges. These are judges appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor to serve in (1) the Crown Court and (2) county courts. A circuit judge must be a barrister or solicitor of ten years’ standing or a person who holds the office of a recorder. The retiring age is 72, with the possibility of extension to 75. All county court judges who existed in 1971 became circuit judges, as did the recorders of Liverpool and Manchester, a number of whole-time chairmen and deputy chairmen of Quarter Sessions and certain other holders of judicial offices under the provisions of the Courts Act, 1971.

2. Recorders. Under the Courts Act, 1971 these are designated part-time judges of the Crown Court. Appointments are made by the Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor to men or women of standing who are prepared to commit themselves to not less than one month’s work on the bench each year. Barristers and solicitors of ten years’ standing are eligible for appointment to this office. If a solicitor holds the appointment for five years he or she may then be appointed a circuit judge.