He has been Chairman of the Franco-British Judicial Co-operation Committee since 2005, and was President of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment from 2006 to 2008, now serving as Vice-President. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law from 2001 to 06, and of the UN Task Force on Access to Justice since 2006. He is Convener of the charity Children in Scotland (since 2006) and Chairman of the University of Edinburgh Centre for Commercial Law (since 2008). He has been an Honorary Professor of Law at Glasgow Caledonian University since 2005, and the School of Law of the University of Glasgow since 2006.[2][3]
Lord Reed was Convener of the Children in Scotland Board from February 2006–March 2012.
On 31 May 2017, he assumed office as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.[9] On 30 March 2022, he tendered his resignation as a Hong Kong judge, citing concerns about the national security law.[10]
On 25 January 2019, he was made an Honorary Fellow of The Academy of Experts in recognition of his contribution and work for Expert Witnesses.
On 24 July 2019, the Queen declared her intention to appoint him President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and to raise him to the peerage. He succeeded Baroness Hale of Richmond as President on 11 January 2020 on her retirement[12] and on the same day was created a life peer as Baron Reed of Allermuir, of Sundridge Park in the London Borough of Bromley.[13] He was sworn in as president on 13 January and introduced to the House of Lords on 16 January.[citation needed]
Writing for the UK Constitutional Law Association, Lewis Graham of the University of Oxford examined the empirical evidence relating to judgements of the Supreme Court under Reed up to April 2022, and found that it has been "more conservative when it comes to public law" compared to previous years.[14]
Notable judgments
Lord Reed's judgments are characterised by an in-depth analysis of the common law.[15] He has handed down judgements on various important topics of the law:
AXA General Insurance Ltd v Lord Advocate [2011] UKSC 46:[16] On the limits on the Scottish Parliament's powers
Osborn v The Parole Board [2013] UKSC 61, [2013] 3 WLR 1020:[17] On common law duty of procedural fairness
Bank Mellat v Her Majesty's Treasury (No. 2) [2013] UKSC 39, [2014] 1 AC 700[18] (Dissenting)
AIB Group (UK) plc v Mark Redler & Co Solicitors [2014] UKSC 58, [2014] 3 WLR 1367:[19] On the causation requirement for a breach of trust
R (Bourgass) v Secretary of State for Justice [2015] UKSC 54, [2016] AC 384[20]
Hesham Ali (Iraq) v Home Secretary [2016] UKSC 60, [2016] 1 WLR 4799[21]
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5, [2018] AC 61[22] (Dissenting): Lord Reed wrote the leading dissenting judgment in the Article 50 litigation, holding that the Government could initiate the UK's withdrawal from the European Union without reference to Parliament
Investment Trust Companies v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2017] UKSC 29; [2018] AC 275[23]
R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51, [2017] 3 WLR 409:[24] Declaring employment tribunal fees set by Lord Chancellor unlawful
Morris-Garner & Anor v One Step (Support) Ltd [2018] UKSC 20, [2019] AC 649:[26] On the availability of negotiating damages for breach of contract
Jonathan Lu & Others v Paul Chan Mo-Po & Another [2018] HKCFA 11, (2018) 21 HKCFAR 94:[27] On the concept of malice in the common law of defamation in the context of qualified privilege
R (Miller) v Prime Minister [2019] UKSC 41, [2020] AC 373:[28] Declaring the prorogation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as unlawful (joint judgment with Lady Hale)
WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12, [2020] 2 WLR 941:[29] On vicarious liability
R (AAA)vSecretary of State for the Home Department [2023] UKSC 42:[32] Declaring the Secretary of State for the Home Department's 'Rwanda policy' to send asylum-seekers in the UK to Rwanda to have their claims processed there instead as unlawful.
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