Igor Judge, Baron Judge

Igor Judge, Baron Judge, PC, QC (born 19 May 1941) is the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Early life

Judge was born in Malta to Raymond and Rosa Judge (née Micallef). He was educated at St Edward's College, Cottonera from 1947 to 1954 and Oratory School, Woodcote from 1954 to 1959, where he was Captain of School and Captain of Cricket. He was awarded an Open Exhibition to study History and Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1959, and he graduated in 1962 with a BA (Hons) degree. While at Cambridge he had become a member of Middle Temple, and he was called to the bar in 1963.

Judicial career

He became a Recorder in 1976 and a Queen's Counsel in 1979. From 1980 to 1986, he served on the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Council of England and Wales. In 1987, he was elected head of the Crown Court Midland Circuit, and he was appointed to the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice in 1988 and awarded the customary knighthood. He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, a judge of the Court of Appeal, in 1996, becoming a Privy Counsellor.

He was the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales from 1998 to 2003, when he became Deputy Lord Chief Justice. He was not appointed as Lord Chief Justice following the retirement of Lord Woolf in 2005 despite having served as his deputy. The then Master of the Rolls, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, was appointed instead.

He was appointed as the first President of the Queen's Bench Division in 2005 when that post was split from that of Lord Chief Justice. In addition to his role as President of the Queen's Bench Division, Judge was appointed Head of Criminal Justice in January 2007.

It was announced on 7 July 2008 that Judge Judge would replace Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales on 1 October 2008. On 4 September 2008, it was announced that Sir Igor was to be elevated to the peerage as a life peer. In consequence, he was eligible to sit as a member of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords. On 1 October 2008 he was created Baron Judge, of Draycote in the county of Warwickshire, and he was introduced into the House of Lords five days later. His successor as President of the Queen's Bench Division is Sir Anthony May.

As of July 2009, Lord Judge holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Northampton.

Cases

• Corporate Officer of the House of Commons v Information Commissioner [2008] EWHC 1084 (Admin)

External links

• Information About The Court of Appeal Civil Division from the Courts Service
• Congratulated in House of Commons on his promotion