The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth ...

Sir William Anthony Campbell PC, KC (born 30 October 1936) was a

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) Justice ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

from 1998 to 2008.

Background

Campbell, the son of Harold Campbell CBE, attended Campbell College,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

(of which he is now a governor) and

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...

. Sir Anthony enjoys sailing and is a member of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. He is an active member of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...

Law career

In 1960, Campbell was called to the Bar by both

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wa ...

and the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland. He was made a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland in 1983 and a Bencher at Gray's Inn in 1995. Sir Anthony was appointed

Queen'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 1974. He was promoted 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 (Englan ...

of Northern Ireland 1988 and served until 1998 when he was further elevated to become a

. Sir Anthony Campbell retired during the summer of 2008.

Post retirement

In October 2008, Sir Anthony Campbell was appointed to chair the Fingerprint Inquiry, a

public inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...

set up by Scottish Government ministers to investigate the steps taken to verify the fingerprints associated with the case of HM Advocate v McKie in 1999, and related matters. He served an additional four years as a judge of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal, retiring from that court in 2014.

References

1936 births Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Living people Knights Bachelor Members of Gray's Inn Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Campbell College Ulster Scots people Lords Justice of Appeal of Northern Ireland High Court judges of Northern Ireland Place of birth missing (living people) Northern Ireland King's Counsel Judges educated at British public schools {{UK-law-bio-stub