The new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom came into existence on October 1 and is now highest court in the land. Replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, the Court’s creation is a landmark moment in constitutional and legal development for the UK. It is the final court of appeal in the UK for civil cases, hears appeals in criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance affecting the whole population.
Established through the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Supreme Court will hear civil appeal cases from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as criminal appeal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It takes over the devolution jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC). The JCPC continues to be the final court of appeal for certain Commonwealth countries and other jurisdictions, such as Crown Dependencies.
The new home of the Supreme Court is the former Middlesex Guildhall, on Parliament Square, adjacent to Parliament and next door to Westminster Abbey.One of the Court’s fundamental aims is to be as transparent as possible in its judgments and proceedings. For the first time at any court in the United Kingdom, proceedings will be routinely filmed and made available to broadcasters. The building is open to the public during working hours and press summaries of judgments will be provided to the media.
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, President of the Supreme Court, said: “For the first time, we have a clear separation of powers between the legislature, the judiciary and the executive in the United Kingdom. This is important. It emphasises the independence of the judiciary, clearly separating those who make the law from those who administer it. As Justices of the Supreme Court we will be more visible to the public than we ever were when sitting as members of the House of Lords. This is desirable as the Court will only decide points of law of public importance. Justice at the highest level should be transparent and the new Court will have a crucial role in letting the public see how justice is done.”
Read the full press release here.