Circuit Judge Competition 2026 – The Essentials
UPDATE 05/02 : Application deadline extended to 17 February 2026
“I got it!!!” – Circuit Judge
This year’s competition launches on Tuesday 20 January 2026 – deadline for applications is 13:00 on Tuesday 17 February 2026 – there are 65 vacancies (45 in crime, 15 in family and 4 in civil). Successful candidates will be informed in March 2026!!
“Your input has been invaluable” – Resident Judge Candidate
It looks very similar to previous CJ competitions and in many ways, this is one of the most straight forward competitions that the JAC run. It has evolved over the years and now successful candidates know what they have to do: demonstrate their evidence of their new Judicial Sills and Abilities Framework. It seems to me they have shuffled their previous competencies and given you 300 rather than 250 words to evidence each one of the five. You have two panels you need to convince – the short-listing panel and the selection day panel. There is some very helpful feedback, sound guidance and clear advice from the JAC on their website. As in previous years, the number of actual vacancies may vary as the competition progresses.
