Igor Judge, Baron Judge

"Lord Judge" redirects here. For lord justices, see Court of Appeal judge (England and Wales).

The Right Honourable The Lord Judge KC PC
Judge in 2018
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 1 October 2008 – 7 November 2023
Convenor of the Crossbench Peers
In office 1 October 2019 – 27 April 2023
Preceded by	The Lord Hope of Craighead
Succeeded by	The Earl of Kinnoull
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
In office 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2013
Nominated by	Jack Straw
Appointed by	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
Succeeded by	The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
President of the Queen's Bench Division
In office 3 October 2005 – 1 October 2008
Deputy	Sir Anthony May
Preceded by	The Lord Woolf (as Lord Chief Justice)
Succeeded by	Sir Anthony May
Deputy Chief Justice of England and Wales
In office 2003–2005
Lord Chief Justice	The Lord Woolf
Preceded by	Sir Tasker Watkins^[a]
Succeeded by	None^[a]
Personal details
Born	Igor Judge (1941-05-19)19 May 1941 Valletta, British Malta
Died	7 November 2023(2023-11-07) (aged 82) London, England
Political party	Crossbencher
Parent	Rosa Judge (mother)
Alma mater	Magdalene College, Cambridge
Occupation	Barrister jurist judge life peer professor of law
a. ^ Office vacant from 1993 to 2003. Non-statutory position.

Igor Judge, Baron Judge, KC, PC (19 May 1941 – 7 November 2023), was an English judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the head of the judiciary,^[1] from 2008 to 2013. He was previously President of the Queen's Bench Division, at the time a newly created post assuming responsibilities transferred from the office of lord chief justice. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Convenor of the Crossbench Peers in the House of Lords.^[2]

Early life and education

Judge was born in Malta on 19 May 1941,^[3] to Raymond and Rosa Judge (née Micallef). Judge was educated at St. Edward's College, Malta, from 1947 to 1954 and The Oratory School in Woodcote in Oxfordshire from 1954 to 1959, where he was Captain of School and Captain of Cricket.^[3] He was awarded an Open Exhibition to study History and Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1959, and he graduated BA in 1962.^[3]

Legal career

Judge was called to the bar (Middle Temple) in 1963 and became a Recorder in 1976 and Queen's Counsel in 1979.^[3] From 1980 to 1986, he served on the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Council. In 1987, he was elected Leader of the Midland Circuit. On 10 October 1988, Judge was appointed a Justice of the High Court,^[4] assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, and awarded the customary knighthood.^[3][5] He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, a judge of the Court of Appeal, on 4 June 1996,^[6] becoming a privy counsellor.^[3]

Judge was the Senior Presiding Judge from 1998 to 2003,^[3] when he became Deputy Chief Justice. He was not appointed Lord Chief Justice following the retirement of Lord Woolf in 2005 despite having served as his deputy; Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, then Master of the Rolls, was appointed instead.^{[citation needed]}

On 3 October 2005, he was appointed the first President of the Queen's Bench Division,^[7] when that post was split from that of Lord Chief Justice. In addition to that role, Judge was appointed Head of Criminal Justice in January 2007.^[8]

Judge replaced Lord Phillips as Lord Chief Justice on 1 October 2008.^[9] The same day, he was created a life peer as Baron Judge, of Draycote in the County of Warwickshire,^[10] and he was introduced to the House of Lords five days later,^[11] where he sat as a crossbencher.

In 2007 Lord Judge was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University,^[12] and in 2010 was made an Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University as well as Kingston University. On 20 June 2012 he received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge.^[13]

Judge retired as Lord Chief Justice at the end of September 2013.^[14] He was Treasurer to the Middle Temple for the year 2014.^[15]

From November 2013 until his death in November 2023, Judge served as a distinguished visitor to The Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London.^[16]

Contrary to popular belief, he was never referred to as "Judge Judge" throughout his career.^[17] This was despite a number of media reports listing him by that title, especially when discussing nominative determinism.^[18][19][20]

Parliament

Judge speaks from the crossbenches in 2021

Judge succeeded Lord Hope of Craighead as Convenor of the Crossbench Peers in 2019.^[21]

Personal life and death

Judge had a son and two daughters.^[22]

Judge died on 7 November 2023, at the age of 82.^[23]

Arms

Coat of arms of Igor Judge, Baron Judge

Crest A bear sejant erect Gules grasping with both forepaws a sword erect Argent hilt pommel and quillons Or. Escutcheon Quarterly Argent and Gules a cross couped nowy round pierced and parted counterchanged and enclosing a roundel Or. Supporters On either side a heraldic dolphin Argent finned Or and holding in the beak a scroll Argent tied and sealed Gules. Motto Sine Amore Nihil[24] Badge Two heraldic dolphins erect and addorsed Argent finned and crowned with an ancient crown Or.

See also

• Nominative determinism

References

1. "President of the Courts of England and Wales". Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Part 2, section 7. Office of Public Sector Information. 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
2. "Lord Judge". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
3. "Senior Judiciary Biographies – Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales". Judiciary of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
4. "No. 51500". The London Gazette. 13 October 1988. p. 11473.
5. "No. 51565". The London Gazette. 20 December 1988. p. 14252.
6. "No. 54419". The London Gazette. 7 June 1996. p. 7803.
7. "No. 57779". The London Gazette. 7 October 2005. p. 12972.
8. "Head of Criminal Justice" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
9. "No. 58843". The London Gazette. 6 October 2008. p. 15221.
10. "No. 58845". The London Gazette. 7 October 2008. p. 15299.
11. House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings of Monday 6 October 2008 Archived 26 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
12. "Honorary graduates A-Z". Nottingham Trent University. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
13. "Honorary Degrees 2012". University of Cambridge. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
14. "Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice, to Retire Next Summer" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
15. Middle Temple: Officers of the Inn Archived 20 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 2 February 2014)
16. "King's College London – Dickson Poon School of Law welcomes Lord Judge". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
17. "'A remarkable leader': Legal sector pays tribute to Lord Judge".
18. "In the Name of the Law".
19. "The Times Diary (TMS): From Malcolm Tucker to Doctor Who, farewell to Lord Igor Judge and Feargal Sharkey's four letter debut". 31 July 2013.
20. "By any other name". 20 December 2011.
21. "Lord Judge". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
22. Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3184.
23. Telegraph, Obituaries (8 November 2023). "Lord Judge, brilliant Lord Chief Justice and unflinching champion of a free press – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
24. Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3184.

Legal offices
Preceded by The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers	Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales 2008–2013	Succeeded by The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Academic offices
Preceded by The Lord Mackay of Clashfern	Commissary of the University of Cambridge 2016–2023	Vacant
Other offices
Preceded by The Lord Hope of Craighead	Convenor of the Crossbench Peers 2019–2023	Succeeded by The Earl of Kinnoull