UK Supreme Court gears up to fill ‘unprecedented’ number of vacancies

Adverts will appear from today encouraging applications for vacancies created by the retirement of Lord Toulson last summer, and forthcoming retirements of Lord Clarke and Lord Neuberger, currently President of the Supreme Court.

The appointments process will be overseen by two independent selection commissions, convened by the Lord Chancellor under rules set by Parliament. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the Crime and Courts Act 2013 stipulate elements of the process to be followed, including the senior judges and politicians who need to be consulted at different stages of the process.

A dedicated section of the Supreme Court website has been set up to promote the vacancies and explain the selection process, as well as to host the job description for prospective candidates.

The number of vacancies on the UK’s highest court arising at the same time is unprecedented. In order to encourage the broadest range of applications and achieve the most efficient process for all involved, the vacancy created by Lord Toulson’s retirement last year was not filled immediately and instead two candidates will be appointed from the forthcoming selection round. A third Justice will be appointed from the same pool of candidates, if Lord Neuberger’s successor as president is appointed from within the Supreme Court.

Last November, Lord Neuberger announced steps to encourage a diverse range of eligible candidates to apply for the roles. These included the launch of “insight sessions” to give potential candidates an opportunity to make a private visit to the court and discuss the role with a serving justice, and ensuring that the application material makes clear the availability of part-time working for new justices.

The membership of the selection commission to recommend the names of the two new justices, and that for the president, are slightly different. The former will be chaired by Lord Neuberger, and the latter will be chaired by Lord Kakkar.

Applications close on 10 March 2017. Once shortlisting, interviews and the required consultation exercises have taken place, it is expected that the names of those appointed will be announced by the government on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen by July, and the new post-holders will take up office at the beginning of the new legal year in October 2017.