Madam Attorney,
This is a unique occasion. Lord Judge is the first Lord Chief Justice to be sworn in, not by the Lord Chancellor, but before a court presided over by the Master of the Rolls. That is of course because the Lord Chief Justice is now the head of the judiciary, whereas the Lord Chancellor is not. It is moreover the first occasion on which it has been decided that I should say a few words, followed by you, Madam Attorney, and then the Chairman of the Bar and the Vice President of the Law Society. It is a great privilege to be here in this capacity today.
This is not of course a valedictory in advance, let alone a memorial service in advance. It is not I think the time for a rehearsal of the very many achievements of the new Lord Chief Justice, at school, at university, at the Bar (as Igor Judge and then as Igor Judge QC) or on the Bench as Mr Justice Judge, as Lord Justice Judge and, more recently, as Sir Igor Judge, President of the Queen’s Bench Division. I have had the advantage of seeing a draft of what you may be going to say, Madam Attorney, and can simply say that I adopt them in advance. I will only add that whenever I have had the pleasure of sitting with the new Lord Chief Justice he has always shown a sense of fairness and humanity to which we should all aspire.
When I was considering what to say today, I was for some reason reminded of a broadcast I heard when I was eight or nine. “The King is dead; long live the King”. It is of course not entirely apt because Lord Phillips is, I am delighted to say, very much still with us and was transformed into the Senior Law Lord at midnight last night, before a further and (who knows) better transformation into the President of the Supreme Court in a year’s time. He will be a hard act to follow, having been faced with – and overcome - the myriad problems attendant upon the coming into force of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
The problems become no easier but I think I can say with confidence that you, my Lord Chief Justice, will have the confidence and support of the whole of the judiciary in taking up your new and daunting position. It is no exaggeration to say that your appointment has been met with acclaim. I say that, not just because I had the privilege of being a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission panel which selected you, but because (as time will prove) the acclaim is justified.
On behalf of the whole of the judiciary, I wish you well in your new position, which is of such importance to the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law and the public interest.
Ends
Please note: that speeches published on this website reflect the individual judicial office-holder's personal views, unless otherwise stated. If you have any queries please contact the Judicial Communications Office.
