William John Kenneth Diplock, Baron Diplock, (8 December 1907 – 14 October 1985) was a British barrister and judge who served as a lord of appeal in ordinary between 1968 and until his death in 1985. Appointed to the English High Court in 1956 and the Court of Appeal five years later, Diplock made important contributions to the development of constitutional and public law as well as many other legal fields. A frequent choice for governmental inquiries, he is also remembered for proposing the creation of the eponymous juryless Diplock courts. Of him, Lord Rawlinson of Ewell wrote that "to his generation Diplock was the quintessential man of the law".
Early life and legal career
Kenneth Diplock was born in South Croydon, the son of solicitor William John Hubert Diplock and his wife Christine Joan Diplock, ''née'' Brooke. He was educated at Whitgift School in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...
and
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...
, where he read chemistry and graduated with a second-class degree in 1929. He was Secretary of the Oxford Union for a term in 1929. He later become an honorary fellow of University College in 1958.
Diplock was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
by the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's I ...
in 1932. After two years in the chambers of Sir Valentine Holmes, KC, he transferred to the chambers of Sir Leslie Scott, KC. In 1939, he left legal practice for serve in the Second World War; in 1941, he joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
, in which he reached the rank of
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
. From 1939 to 1948, he was secretary to the Master of the Rolls, Lord Greene.
Returning to the bar in 1945, Diplock was made a
King's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
in 1948, at the early age of 41. He acquired a large practice in commercial work and in advisory work for Commonwealth governments. He was Recorder of Oxford from 1951 to 1956.
Judicial career
In 1956, Diplock was appointed to the
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC ( Engl ...
, receiving the customary
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
lord justice of appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justic ...
in October 1961, and was sworn of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
with the title Baron Diplock, ''of Wansford in the County of
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.
Formation
The Local Government Act 1888 created ...
'' to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
.He became the
senior Law Lord
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House ...
upon the retirement of Lord Wilberforce in 1982. He resigned his seniority in October 1984 but remained a Law Lord until his death the following year.
He was chairman of the
Security Commission
The Security Commission, sometimes known as the Standing Security Commission,Geoffrey Philip Wilson, "Cases and materials on constitutional and administrative law", Cambridge University Press, 1976 p. 98. was a UK non-departmental public body or ...
from 1971 to 1982.
As Lord Diplock, he chaired a commission set up in 1972 to consider legal measures against
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
in Northern Ireland, which led to the establishment of the juryless Diplock courts with which his name is now often associated.
In September 1985, Lord Diplock sat as a judge for the last time, in a special sitting of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council during the Long Vacation for an urgent civil case from Trinidad and Tobago. Severely ill from emphysema, Diplock came to court from the hospital in a wheelchair and with an oxygen cylinder.
At the time of his death, Lord Diplock was the longest serving law lord as well as the last serving superior judge to not be covered the mandatory retirement age of 75 introduced by the Judicial Pensions Act 1959.
Personal life
He married Maraget Sarah Atcheson in 1938; they had no children.
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
and even in the United States, where he has been cited by the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
'' 982A.C. 617, on grounds of review and locus standi respectively.
He also made important contributions to contract law.
The current typology of grounds for judicial review is owing to Lord Diplock.
*Procedural impropriety
*'' Nemo judex'' (Bias rule)
*''
Audi alteram partem
(or ) is a Latin phrase meaning "listen to the other side", or "let the other side be heard as well". It is the principle that no person should be judged without a fair hearing in which each party is given the opportunity to respond to the evid ...
Wednesbury irrationality
''Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd. v Wednesbury Corporation'' 9481 KB 223 is an English law case that sets out the standard of unreasonableness of public-body decisions that would make them liable to be quashed on judicial review, known ...
*Lack of proportionality
* Innominate Terms
* Primary and Secondary ObligationsMoschi v. Lep AirServices Ltd. 973A.C. 331 per Lord Diplock, confirmed in Photo Production Ltd. v Securior Transport Ltd.
980
Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) a ...
962
Year 962 ( CMLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* December – Arab–Byzantine wars – Sack of Aleppo: A Byzantine e ...
BBC v Johns
''BBC v Johns'' 965Ch 32 is a case in UK administrative law.
Facts
The BBC argued that it was exempt from income tax, claiming to be a monopoly established by royal prerogative.
Judgment
The court disagreed, ruling that is not possible to cre ...
United Dominions Trust Ltd v Kirkwood
''United Dominions Trust Ltd v Kirkwood'' 9662 QB 431 was a decision of the Court of Appeal relating to what constitutes "banking business" as a matter of English law.
''Ellinger's Modern Banking Law'' refers to the judgment as a "landmark de ...
''
966
Year 966 ( CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* 23 June - Byzantine-Arab War: A prisoner exchange occurs at the border betwee ...
2 QB 431
House of Lords
* ''
Pettitt v Pettitt
''Pettitt v Pettitt'' 970AC 777 is a leading English trusts law case, concerning the presumption of advancement and a spouse's equitable interest in the matrimonial home.
Facts
In Pettitt, the wife had used her own money to buy a house during t ...
''
970
Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th year ...
AC 777
* ''
Dorset Yacht Co Ltd v Home Office
is a leading case in English tort law. It is a House of Lords decision on negligence and marked the start of a rapid expansion in the scope of negligence in the United Kingdom by widening the circumstances in which a court was likely to find a d ...
''
970
Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th year ...
AC 1004
* ''
Gissing v Gissing
''Gissing v Gissing'' 970UKHL 3is an English land law and English trust law">trust law case dealing with constructive trusts arising in relationships between married couple. It may no longer represent good law, since the decisions of ''Stack v D ...
''
971
Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men ...
971
Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men ...
Catnic Components Ltd v Hill & Smith Ltd
''Catnic Components Ltd. v. Hill & Smith Ltd.'' 982R.P.C. 183 is a leading House of Lords decision on the nature of a patent and in particular the methods of claim construction.
Background
Catnic Components had a patent for a steel lintel, u ...
Universe Tankships Inc. of Monrovia v. International Transport Workers' Federation
''Universe Tankships Inc. of Monrovia v. International Transport Workers’ Federation'' 9822 All ER 67 is an English contract law case relating to duress.
Facts
The International Transport Workers' Federation black listed a Universe Tankship Inc ...
R v Sullivan
''R v Sullivan'' 984AC 156 is a British House of Lords case in criminal law, and a leading modern authority on the common law defence of insanity.
Facts
The defendant, who had had epilepsy since childhood, kicked the victim, his friend, duri ...
Air New Zealand Flight 901
The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE-901) flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Ant ...