04 July 2007
Lady Justice (Heather) Hallett, one of three senior judicial commissioners, has become vice-chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).
She will take up this role on the retirement of Lord Justice (Robin) Auld from the Court of Appeal and the Commission at the end of September 2007.
The Prime Minister has today announced the appointment of Lord Justice (Roger) Toulson as a new judicial commissioner to the JAC. He will take up office from 1 October 2007.
Jack Straw, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, said:
"Lord Justice Auld has served as a Commissioner on the JAC in the first important year of its existence and I want to thank him for his contribution.
"I also welcome Lord Justice Toulson and Lady Justice Hallett to their new roles.
"The important work of the JAC will continue to be enhanced by the appointment of such distinguished commissioners, with a breadth of knowledge and experience."
Baroness Prashar, the Chairman of the JAC, added:
"I am very grateful to Robin Auld for his commitment to the work of the JAC in its inaugural year. As the first vice-chairman, he has been instrumental in helping to set our strategy and forge our independent identity. We have benefited enormously from his experience and expertise as a member of the senior judiciary. He will be missed."
The JAC was established on 3 April 2006 to select and recommend candidates to the Lord Chancellor for judicial appointment.
Notes to Editors
1. Heather Hallett has been a Lord Justice of Appeal since 2005. She was called to the Bar in 1972 and began sitting as a part-time judge in 1985. She was Chairman of the General Council of the Bar in 1998 and has been a High Court judge and Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit.
2. Robin Auld is a Lord Justice of Appeal. He was called to the Bar in 1959 and became a QC in 1975. He was a judge of the High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division 1987-1995; a member of the Judicial Studies Board 1989-1991 and a Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit 1991-1994. After his appointment to the Court of Appeal in 1995, he was the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales until 1998. In 1999-2001 he conducted the Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales.
3. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 provided for the setting up of the Judicial Appointments Commission. The JAC is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.
4. The composition of the JAC is set out in Schedule 12 to the Constitutional Reform Act. There are 15 commissioners: five must be judicial members, two must be legal profession members, six must be lay members (including the chairman), one must be a tribunal member and one must be a lay justice member. Commissioners can be appointed to serve a term of up to five years at a time but may not hold office for more than 10 years in total.
5. Under the terms of the Act, 12 commissioners (including the Chairman) are appointed through open competition and the Judges' Council selects the three most senior judicial members.
6. The Prime Minister's press notice on the appointment of Lord Justice Toulson can be found on the 10 Downing Street website.
7. For media enquiries please contact Sandra Smith Hughes, Ministry of Justice Press Office, 020 7210 8692/ 2645/ 1476.
8. For JAC media enquiries please contact JAC Communications Team: 0207 210 0442, Blackberry: 07795 061628.
Ends