Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Judiciary of England and Wales
Incumbent The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill since 1 October 2023
Style	The Right Honourable
Nominator	Judicial Appointments Commission
Appointer	Monarch of the United Kingdom, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor[1]
Formation	29 November 1880
Website	https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/lord-chief-justice/

This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales
Law of England and Wales
Administration Ministry of Justice Lord Chancellor His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service Judges' Council
Civil and family courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Privy Council Court of Appeal Master of the Rolls Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench President of the Family Division Chancellor of the High Court High Court judge County Court List of County Court venues County Court Business Centre District judge Family Court Court of Protection Court of Chivalry
Criminal courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Court of Appeal Lord Chief Justice Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench High Court judge Crown Court List of Crown Court venues Circuit judge Recorder Magistrates' courts District judge Justice of the peace / lay magistrates
Criminal prosecution Attorney General Director of Public Prosecutions Crown Prosecution Service
Legal profession Bar Council Barrister Law Society of England and Wales Solicitor Solicitor advocate
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The lady chief justice of England and Wales (alternatively Lord Chief Justice when the holder is male) is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.

Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and Welsh courts, surpassed by the lord chancellor, who normally sat in the highest court. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 changed the roles of judges, creating the position of President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and altering the duties of the lord chief justice and the lord chancellor. The lord chief justice ordinarily serves as president of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and head of criminal justice, meaning its technical processes within the legal domain, but under the 2005 Act can appoint another judge to these positions. The lord chancellor became a purely executive office, with no judicial role.

The equivalent in Scotland is the lord president of the Court of Session, who also holds the post of lord justice-general in the High Court of Justiciary. The equivalent in Northern Ireland is the lord chief justice of Northern Ireland, local successor to the lord chief justice of Ireland of the pre-Partition era.

Sue Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, has been Lady Chief Justice since October 2023. She is the first female holder of the office.^[2]