Coleridge J investigated following complaint over marriage comment

The Office for Judicial Complaints is investigating the role of leading family judge Mr Justice Coleridge in setting up the Marriage Foundation, an independent charity which aims to reverse the trend of marital breakdown.

It is understood that the investigation will centre on comments made by Coleridge J when the charity was launched at the end of last month, following a complaint.

At the launch the High Court judge promised that the foundation was “not going to be a cosy club for the smug and self-satisfied of middle England”, but the start of a “national movement with the aim of changing attitudes across the board from the very top to the bottom of society”.

He was reported as describing family breakdown as “one of the most destructive scourges of our time” and said there was “incontrovertible” proof that married couples were more likely to stay together.

The foundation has won the backing of Baroness Butler-Sloss, former president of the Family Division, Baroness Shackleton, partner at Payne Hicks Beach and solicitor to princes William and Harry, Baroness Deech, chair of the Bar Standards Board, and Lord Justice Toulson.

A spokeswoman for the OJC said: “The Office for Judicial Complaints has received a complaint in relation to comments that Sir Paul Coleridge is reported to have made.

“That complaint will be considered under the judicial discipline regulations in the usual way. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

In a separate development, leading employment barrister Anya Palmer has accused Mr Justice Coleridge of breaching the guide to judicial conduct by offering to speak at a Christian pro-marriage conference banned by the Law Society.

In a comment on solicitorsjournal.com, Palmer said Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, was wrong to suggest the conference was a “debate” as her organisation was “heavily involved in campaigning against same-sex marriage”.

Palmer said the conference agenda, its title, ‘One man. One woman. Making the case for marriage for the good of society’, and the fact none of the speakers were in favour of same-sex marriage clearly aligned it with the campaign against gay marriage.

She said the Marriage Foundation’s stance of neutrality on the issue of gay marriage was “fatally compromised” by his participation in the conference.

Palmer said that paragraph 8.2.2 of the guide to judicial conduct stated that care should be taken “about the place at which, and the occasion on which, a judge speaks so as not to cause the public to associate the judge with a particular organisation, group or cause”.

She added: “I cannot see how it can be argued that Sir Paul’s participation in the ‘One Man One Woman’ conference does not breach that guidance.”