The Government this week handed over responsibility for the judiciary in England and Wales to the Lord Chief Justice, as the long-awaited overhaul of the UK courts ministry comes into effect.
The shake-up, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, sees the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, pass the leadership of the judiciary to Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers. Falconer also relinquishes his status as a judge, remaining as the UK’s chief justice minister, with political responsibility for the judiciary, civil justice policy and the courts system.
