The Staff of Government Division of the High Court of Justice (usually shortened to Staff of Government Division) is 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 ...

in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. It hears all appeals, both criminal and civil, from the High Court. It is the second highest court in the

with final appeal going to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

acting as 'The King in Council'. The judges of the Staff of Government Division are the First Deemster and

Clerk of the Rolls The Clerk of the Rolls () is a judge and Head of the Judiciary in the Isle of Man. This position was formerly distinct from that of the Deemsters but now the Clerk of the Rolls is held jointly with the office of First Deemster. The Clerk of the ...

, the Second Deemster, the

Judge of Appeal The Judge of Appeal is a part-time judge in the Isle of Man High Court who only sits in the Staff of Government Division, the appeal court. The position was created by the Judicature (Amendment) Act 1918 which also amalgamated the offices o ...

and any other English

King'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 ...

who are appointed as acting deemsters to hear an appeal.

Name and history

The name ''Staff of Government'' comes from the original court of appeal on the Island, which consisted of the officers of the

Lord of Mann The Lord of Mann () is the lord proprietor and head of state of the Isle of Man, currently King Charles III. Before 1504, the title was King of Mann. Relationship with the Crown Since 1399, the King of Mann, kings and lords of Mann were ...

, and later the officers of the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. The Judicature Act 1883 created 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 (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

, and replaced the Lieutenant Governor's officers with the two deemsters who acted as judges in the courts of first instance, and the

. However, this left the Lieutenant Governor continuing to act as judge despite lacking any legal training. He was removed by the Judicature (Amendment) Act 1921, following the addition of an additional independent judge, in the form of an English

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 ...

, by the

Judicature (Amendment) Act 1918 The Judge of Appeal is a part-time judge in the Isle of Man High Court who only sits in the Staff of Government Division, the appeal court. The position was created by the Judicature (Amendment) Act 1918 which also amalgamated the offices of ...

. This removed the last vestiges of the government and its staff from the Manx judicial system.

References

External links

Isle of Man Courts
Law of the Isle of Man {{IsleofMan-stub