Three female judges have been appointed to the Court of Appeal (CoA) in the latest round of promotions, which has seen 10 new justices appointed.
The promotions, as made by the Queen, include Mrs Justice Gloster, Macur and Sharp, and take the total number of CoA judges to seven from four.
Gloster J was appointed to the High Court in 2004, while Sharp J spent just four years on the High Court bench before her promotion to the CoA. Macur J joins from the Midland Circuit, where she was the presiding judge.
The appointments are made on advice from the Prime Minister and a panel chaired by Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge. Other panel members include Lord Dyson, Dame Valerie Strachan and Christopher Stephens. The unusually high round of hires comes after a string of High Court judges either stepped down or took on new roles at the Supreme Court.
Lord Justice Hughes and Lord Toulson will join the UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court on 9 April to replace Lord Dyson and Lord Walker respectively. Meanwhile, Lord Hodge is also joining the Supreme Court in October, replacing Scottish Justice Lord Hope.
The promotions follow former CoA judge and Master of Rolls Lord Neuberger’s move, who became the president of the Supreme Court in October 2012.
Justice Minister Damian Green said: ‘I am greatly encouraged to see the number of women in the Court of Appeal has increased following these appointments.Whilst this demonstrates some progress, there remains a long way to go before the judiciary better reflects the society it serves.’
Other new CoA judges include Mr Justices Briggs, Clarke, Floyd, Fulford, Ryder, Underhill and Vos.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk