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High Court judicial appointments system is flawed. and biased

Saturday 3 July 2004 at 12:30 am | In News | Post Comment

Sir Colin Campbell, first commissioner of the Commission for Judicial Appointments has produced a critical report of the system for appointing judges.  He says those who are appointed may well be the best candidates for appointment, but their credibility may be undermined by the failings of the system that appointed them, and that unfairness and patronage cannot be easily rejected under the current system.  He went on to say the system needs radical change.

The Commission had access to the 2003 selection of High Court judges. They had access to files, e-mails and private briefings.

Of the nine candidates offered High Court positions, the Lord Chancellor himself had nominated three. The Commission believes the nomination system should end and all potential High Court judges should be applicants.

The report offers an unprecedented look at the appointments process and the Commission believes it is fundamentally flawed, and urged the government not to wait until 2006 for the introduction of the Independent Judicial Appointments Commission.

The role of the Commission for Judicial Appointments is to deal with complaints about the current system

Report of the Commissioners’ Review of the High Court 2003 competition