judge

   Judges in England and Wales are appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission, an independent nondepartmental public body set up under the terms of the Constitutional Reform Act (2005). All candidates are to be judged on merit alone, measured by five core qualities: intellectual capacity; personal qualities (integrity, independence, judgement, decisiveness, objectivity, ability, willingness to learn); ability to understand and deal fairly; authority and communication skills; and efficiency. It is the Lord Chancellor who actually makes the appointments, but for the most senior judges he will receive one name only from the Commission. Many of the current judges have previously served as barristers. Judges preside over the courts, following the evidence carefully, giving rulings on points of law, summing up the factual evidence for the jury and then passing sentence or, in civil cases, delivering a judgement. They are often criticised for their fundamental conservatism, which allegedly makes them out of step with modern social tendencies. In the past, they have been drawn exclusively from a privileged social background, although in recent years there has been a greater attempt to introduce greater diversity. The lack of social representativeness matters all the more today because of the increased prominence of judges in the political system and is seen as jeopardising their neutrality in the adjudication of cases.

   Of course, background is not necessarily a guide to judicial attitude and once on the bench, judges can show a surprising degree of independent judgement and the majority dispense justice of high quality.