The Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales is a member of the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

appointed by the

Lord Chief Justice The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...

to supervise the Presiding Judges for the various judicial circuits of England and Wales. The Senior Presiding Judge is responsible for deployment and personnel issues for all circuits and acts as a "general point of liaison" for the courts, judiciary and Government. The post dates to the appointment in 1983 of Sir Tasker Watkins, who remains the longest-serving holder of the office. The arrangement was put on a statutory footing with the enactment of the

Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41) was an Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the legal profession and courts of England and Wales. The act was the culmination of a series ...

Presiding Judges

In each circuit, there are two Presiding Judges appointed by the Lord Chief Justice to preside each of the six circuits in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

, with the exception of the South-Eastern circuit which is supervised by the

and two High Court judges. The judge is responsible for the deployment of the judiciary and allocation of cases and for the general supervision of the judiciary in the circuit.

List of Senior Presiding Judges

*1983: Sir Tasker Watkins VC GBE *1991: Sir Anthony McCowan *1995: Sir Robin Auld *1998: Sir Igor Judge *2003: Sir John Thomas *1 January 2007: Sir Brian Leveson *1 January 2010: Sir John Goldring *1 January 2013: Sir Peter Gross *1 January 2016: Sir Adrian Fulford *3 April 2017: Dame Julia Macur *1 January 2020: Dame Kathryn Thirlwall *1 October 2021: Sir Charles Haddon-Cave *1 October 2022: Sir Andrew Edis *1 October 2024: Sir Nicholas Green

Deputy Senior Presiding Judge

Following the enactment of the

Constitutional Reform Act 2005 The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, relevant to UK constitutional law. It provides for a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the previous appellate jurisdiction of the Law ...

, increased duties for the Senior Presiding Judge prompted the

to appoint a deputy. On four occasions the office has fallen vacant for 21 months or more. Each time was after the incumbent became Senior Presiding Judge. *1 January 2006: Sir Brian Leveson *1 January 2007: Vacant *October 2008: Sir John Goldring *1 January 2010: Vacant *3 October 2011: Sir Peter Gross *1 January 2013: Vacant *1 January 2015: Sir Adrian Fulford *1 January 2016: Dame Julia Macur *10 October 2017: Dame Kathryn Thirlwall *1 January 2020: Sir Charles Haddon-CaveAppointment of Deputy Senior Presiding Judge
/ref> *29 November 2021: Sir Andrew Edis *1 October 2022: Vacant *1 January 2024: Sir Nicholas Green *1 October 2024: Amanda Yip

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senior Presiding Judge For England And Wales Judiciary of England and Wales