Judiciary of England and Wales

There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales.^[1] Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales, particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.

By statute, judges are guaranteed continuing judicial independence.^[2]

There have been multiple calls from both Welsh academics and politicians however for a Wales criminal justice system.^[3]^[4]^[5]

The following is a list of the various types of judges who sit in the Courts of England and Wales:^[6]

^ Diversity of the judiciary: Legal professions, new appointments and current post-holders (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Justice. 17 September 2020.
^ Constitutional Reform Act 2005, s.3
^ "Written Statement: Update on the development of the justice system and the legal sector in Wales (30 September 2021)". GOV.WALES. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
^ "Plaid Cymru call for devolution of justice to Wales - 'we can't be treated as an appendage to England'". Nation.Cymru. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
^ "Devolution a 'necessary step' towards a better Welsh criminal justice system, academics argue". Cardiff University. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
^ "Forms of address for the Judiciary". Judiciary of England and Wales. HMSO. 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2007.

[1] Diversity of the judiciary: Legal professions, new appointments and current post-holders (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Justice. 17 September 2020.

[2] Constitutional Reform Act 2005, s.3

[3] "Written Statement: Update on the development of the justice system and the legal sector in Wales (30 September 2021)". GOV.WALES. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2022.

[4] "Plaid Cymru call for devolution of justice to Wales - 'we can't be treated as an appendage to England'". Nation.Cymru. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.

[:1-5] "Devolution a 'necessary step' towards a better Welsh criminal justice system, academics argue". Cardiff University. Retrieved 22 February 2023.

[6] "Forms of address for the Judiciary". Judiciary of England and Wales. HMSO. 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2007.

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