Recorders (Part time judges, least serious
Crown Court cases)
To become a Law Lord you need 2 years judicial office and 15 years rights of audience in the Supreme Court. Will also apply to Scottish or Northern Irish judges. The appointment procedure to become a Law Lord involves the Lord Chancellor recommending Senior Lord Justices or Court of Session judges (Scottish) and Northern Irish judges to the Prime Minister. After consultation with all existing Law Lords and Heads of Division.
To become a Lord Justice of Appeal you will again require 10 years rights of audience in the High court. To become a Lord Justice of Appeal you are invited to consider promotion by the Lord Chancellor, who then seeks opinions from Law Lords and Senior Lord Justices. Then the Lord Chancellor recommends appointments to the Prime Minister.
The appointment criteria for High court judge is 10 years rights of audience in the High court or are required to have served for 2 years as a Circuit judge. The appointment procedure for a High court judge begins with sending an application in response to an advertisement or by invitation from the Lord Chancellor's Department. Following this the opinions of all the High court judges is asked. Then there is a review by the Lord Chancellor's Department and Heads of Division. The final appointment is made by the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor.
Circuit Judges are appointed by the Queen on recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. They are appointed from solicitors and barristers with at least 10 years experience in advocacy, or if they have been a recorder and a district judge with high recommendation. The appointment procedure is also the same for Recorders and District judges.
The new changes being proposed by the government to the selection process will mean that the Lord Chancellor will no longer sit as a judge, head the judiciary or be in charge of judicial appointments.
B.) The English Judiciary was granted security of tenure in 1701 in the Act of Settlement in return for its acceptance of the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty. Such security is said to guarantee its independence since judge are protected from threats of dismissal by the executive if they do not decide cases in particular ways. The public like to see law being administered impartially, which is the way in a democratic society. The independence of the judiciary was further helped by the establishment of the principle that judges should carry on automatically in office on the death of the monarch (1760).
Judicial independence is important as judges remain independent of pressure from the Government and other political groups and etc. It is argued without judicial independence a democracy and the law would not be able to function.
