Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges
About the Council
The Council began after the formation of the Crown Court in 1972 when the group of presiding County Court Judges joined with Circuit Judges. Its initial purpose was simply to represent Circuit Judges on issues such as pay and conditions. It is not a Professional Body and it is not a Trades Union. It is unique because it represents a group of judges who are rightly proud of their independence and wish to preserve it. Membership is voluntary. Subscription is modest. We exist to gather the views of the membership and disseminate them where appropriate to the outside world. Our principal task remains to represent them.
The Committee of the Council consists of about 26 Circuit Judges drawn from all areas (Circuits) of England and Wales. These are divided up into 3 main sub committees, Criminal, Civil and Family but we also have smaller groups to deal with IT, Pensions and Pay, and other specific issues. The Council has about 600 members (and 300 retired members) and is run entirely voluntarily by its officers who are full time judges. We do have some excellent secretarial support and trained members to deal with media matters.
The range of work we do is considerable. Quite apart from organising our own biannual general meetings, quarterly committees, dinner and lunch, there are similar events on each Circuit. The President and Secretary sit on the Judges Council and liaise with other judiciary. We provide a point of contact for others in the judiciary, for the Civil Service and for the Media to contact us. We also liaise with other jurisdictions, particularly our colleagues in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Eire but also Europe and other common law jurisdictions in the world.
The last 15 years have seen remarkable changes in our work. There has been a vast increase in legislation in almost all areas of our expertise. Consultations and new guidelines come in almost every week for our comments and consideration. We are always vigilant not to undermine the will of Parliament or to comment on the merit of a law. Our task is to say (if asked) how it might be best enacted, how enforced and how effective it might be.
The advent of IT and the Internet has made a vast difference to our work. We can now exchange our views on a daily basis and consultation documents, transcripts, decisions of Courts or other Committees reach us instantly. The Media now takes a considerable interest in the process of legislation, and they too are eager to hear our views on such matters. We now have a website which will provide the Media and the Judges and the general public with a greater insight into what we do, and what our views may be where it is appropriate to express them. We will never discuss individual cases, except where the individual judge asks us to do so.
The roles of the officers also vary quite widely. The Secretary is usually in office for 4 years or more and effectively runs the council. Although a full time judge he or she will have many meetings each week in London, hundreds of e-mails and letters to deal with, and all the consultations and requests we deal with. We also have a Social Secretary and Treasurer. The President is in office for one year only, but spends two years in preparation as Vice President. As I am a Circuit Judge in Newcastle upon Tyne doing mainly Crime and some Family, I am keen to see that the Council represents all of England and Wales and is not too London based. With this in mind, the Committee will meet in Newcastle upon Tyne this year for the first time out of London. I am also encouraging other Circuits to hold their own meetings, accompanied by social events, on their own Circuits. Hopefully the Council and its work will become better known all around the country. I have no doubt that this new Website will greatly assist and I am enormously grateful to all those who have put in so much work in creating it. I am sure it will be frequently visited.
David R Wood
President