Ranald Iain Sutherland, Lord Sutherland (23 January 1932 – 26 February 2025) was a Scottish judge who was a

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court ...

, having been appointed in 1985. Known as Lord Sutherland in the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

and

High Court of Justiciary The High Court of Justiciary () is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court, the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff C ...

, he sat in the First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session. His most notable case was as a presiding judge in the

Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on 3 May 2000, more than 11 years after the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988. The 36-week bench trial took place at a specially convened Scottish Court in the Netherlands set up under ...

. Sutherland was married to Janice, and they had two sons, Alan and Donald. He died on 26 February 2025, at the age of 93.

Brief Biography

* Graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

( MA

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

) and was admitted to the

Faculty of Advocates The Faculty of Advocates () is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

in 1956. * Served as an

Advocate Depute The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service () is the independent public prosecutor, prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by Charles III of the United Kingd ...

from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1971 to 1977. * Appointed Standing Junior Counsel to the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

from 1964 to 1969. * Appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

(QC) in 1969. * Member of the

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an executive agency of the UK Government. The Authority, established in 1996 and based in Glasgow, administers a compensation scheme for injuries caused to victims of violent crime in Engla ...

from 1977 to 1985 * Scottish Representative to the

International Association of Judges The International Association of Judges (IAJ) is a professional, non-political, international organization of national associations of judges. It was founded in Salzburg in 1953 and has its headquarters in Rome. The IAJ promotes the Rule of Law a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Ranald, Lord Sutherland 1932 births 2025 deaths Sutherland, Ranald Ian, Lord Sutherland Members of the Faculty of Advocates Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom