Judicial Appointments – Fundamental Changes in 2017
The judicial appointment process continues to evolve but it seems to have reached a bit of a crossroads. The core problem appears to be the widely held view that the MoJ are unable to attract the required quality of candidates for some High Court Divisions. Hence the launch of the Deputy High Court Judge competitions last year which is being run again as I write. When the list of successful candidates, from the 1st competition, was finally published it featured many highly respected Silks (although a number of these were already sitting as Recorders) and one solicitor. It is an impressive array of talent and bodes well for future full-time appointments. The JAC have just announced a 2 track High Court Judge competition for those who have not previously sat and s9(4) judges.
