President of the Queen's Bench Division
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The President of the Queen's Bench Division is the head of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. The current President is Sir Brian Leveson.
Until 2005, the Lord Chief Justice was also the President of the Queen's Bench, but the role was separated under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and Sir Igor Judge became the first President.
List of Presidents of the Queen's Bench Division
- 3 October 2005: Sir Igor Judge[1]
- 1 October 2008: Sir Anthony May[2]
- 3 October 2011: Sir John Thomas[3]
- 1 October 2013: Sir Brian Leveson[4]
Vice-President
The office of Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division predates the separation of the division's presidency from the office of Lord Chief Justice. In 1988, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, made arrangements for Sir Tasker Watkins, a Lord Justice of Appeal, to be Deputy Chief Justice, deputising across the range of Lane's responsibilities. The arrangement continued under Lane's successor, but when Watkins retired in 1993, Lord Taylor of Gosford appointed Sir Paul Kennedy of the Court of Appeal to oversee the Queen's Bench Division. Lord Bingham of Cornhill, who took over as Lord Chief Justice in 1996, made arrangements with Lord Mackay of Clashfern (Lord Chancellor under John Major) whereby Lord Justice Kennedy would become Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division with the understanding that it would be made a statutory office at an early date. Lord Bingham made the appointment in 1997, and Lord Mackay's Labour successor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, honoured the commitment in the Access to Justice Act 1999.[5][6]
- 1997: Sir Paul Kennedy[7]
- February 2002: Sir Anthony May[8][9]
- October 2008: Sir John Thomas[10]
- 3 October 2011: Dame Heather Hallett[11]
- 4 March 2014: Sir Nigel Davis[12]
- 1 January 2016 Dame Victoria Sharp
See also
- Lord Chief Justice
- Master of the Rolls
- President of the Family Division
- Chancellor of the High Court
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 57779. p. 12927. 5 October 2005.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 58843. p. 15222. 6 October 2008.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 59931. p. 19091. 6 October 2011.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 60644. p. 19289. 1 October 2013.
- ↑ House of Lords Debates 28 January 1999 c 1244–45.
- ↑ Access to Justice Act 1999, s 69.
- ↑ Swaine, Jon (2 December 2009). "MPs expenses: Profile of Sir Paul Kennedy, new judge of allowance claims". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ↑ "Appointments to Queen's Bench Division of the High Court and Lord Justice of Appeal" (Press release). Number10.gov.uk. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009.
- ↑ "Lord Justice May to replace Kennedy". Legal Week (subscription required). 9 August 2001.
May is to replace Lord Justice Kennedy in the role. The appointment will come into effect in February 2002...
- ↑ Rozenberg, Joshua (12 October 2012). "A Who's Hughes of the number twos". The Telegraph.
- ↑ "Appointment of Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division and Deputy Senior Presiding Judge" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 27 July 2011.
- ↑ "New Vice President of the Queen's Bench Division Appointed" (Press release). Courts and Tribunals Judiciary of England and Wales. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014.