Increasing number of women judges “like turning tanker around”, LCJ says

The Lord Chief Justice has said that increasing the number of women judges is like “turning a tanker around” and will take time.

However he said he believed judges should be appointed on merit and introducing quotas could be seen as “insulting” by women and members of ethnic minorities.

“I do not see how anyone can countenance quotas,” Lord Judge said. “Litigants expect their cases to be decided by the best qualified people.

“Of course I am concerned that the bench, particularly at the higher levels, does not have a broader representation of women, and men and women from ethnic minorities.”

Speaking at his annual press conference, the LCJ said judges could only be appointed from those who applied and 11 per cent of QCs were female and 25 per cent of solicitor partners.

“What is our society like in regarding appointments given to women?” Lord Judge asked. “How many editors of national newspapers are female? How many editors of provincial newspapers? In that the judicial system is reflective of our society.”

Lord Judge took issue with a report published last week by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), set up by the Council of Europe, which claimed that England and Wales was the fourth worst jursidiction for the appointment of women judges, with only Armenia, Scotland and Azerbaijan having a lower percentage.

The LCJ said the European study did not include magistrates and if it had done, the proportion of female judicial appointments would rise from less than 24 per cent to about 50 per cent.

Nevertheless, Lord Judge added that he was “extremely concerned and unhappy” about under-representation in the judiciary.

On judicial pensions, he said there had to be a “long conversation” between judges and the Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling.

“I see no reason at all why we can’t have a sensible discussion about these issues,” he added.