A special ceremony was held at the Supreme Court yesterday to mark the beginning of the new legal year. It was a landmark for family law as Brenda Hale was sworn-in as the first female President of the Court while Jill Black joined the court as its second female Justice.
The swearing-in also included the appointment of Jonathan Mance as Deputy President and David Lloyd-Jones and Michael Briggs as Justices.
In an earlier separate ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice Sir Ian Burnett was sworn-in as the new Lord Chief Justice. At the swearing-in, David Lidington delivered a speech in which he welcomed the opportunity to work with Sir Burnett in fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities of securing justice for all, championing the rule of law, and administering justice fairly. Lidington also acknowledged that following Brexit there will doubtless be some ‘uncomfortable discussions’ between the judiciary and the executive.