Appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal
The Lady Chief Justice is delighted that His Majesty King Charles III has approved the appointment of seven new Court of Appeal judges.
Each will bring a wealth of judicial knowledge and experience to their new roles, having served with distinction on the High Court Bench.
His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointments of Mr Justice Butcher, Mr Justice Chamberlain, Mr Justice Fancourt, Mrs Justice Farbey, Mrs Justice Lieven, Mr Justice Meade and Mr Justice Saini as Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal.
These appointments will fill vacancies within the Court of Appeal.
Further information
The appointment of Lord or Lady Justices of the Court of Appeal are made by His Majesty The King, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.
The selection panel was chaired by the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill. The other panel members were the Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos; a Non-Legally Qualified Judicial Commissioner of the JAC, Mr Uche Igbokwe; and two lay JAC Commissioners, Professor Christopher Bones and Professor Clare McGlynn.
In accordance with section 79 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed. In accordance with s10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981, the selection exercise was open to applicants that satisfied the judicial eligibility condition on a seven-year basis or were judges of the High Court.
Biographies
Mr Justice Christopher Butcher was called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1986 and took Silk in 2001. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2009, authorised to hear cases under section 9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 in 2013, and as a High Court Judge appointed to the King’s Bench Division in 2018.
Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1997 and took Silk in 2013. He was appointed as a s9(4) Deputy High Court Judge (King’s Bench Division) in 2016 and was appointed as a High Court Judge to the King’s Bench Division in 2019. He was appointed as a Judicial Member of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in 2000, as a Judicial Member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in 2002 and as Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court in 2024.
Mr Justice Timothy Fancourt was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1987 and took Silk in 2003. He was appointed as a Recorder (Crime) in 2009, authorised to hear cases under section 9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 in 2013, and appointed a High Court Judge assigned to the Chancery Division in 2018. He was also appointed as a Chair of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2018; served as President of the Lands Chamber between 2019 and 2022; and as Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster and Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts on the Northern and North-Eastern Circuits between 2021 and 2025. He is currently the Chair of the High Court Judges’ Association.
Mrs Justice Judith Farbey was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1992 and took Silk in 2011. She was appointed as a Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber in 2014 and as a Recorder in 2016. She was appointed as a High Court Judge to the King’s Bench Division in 2018. She was the President of the Administrative Appeals Chamber from 2019-2022. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission and the Vice President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Mrs Justice Nathalie Lieven was called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1989. She was appointed as a s9(4) Deputy High Court Judge (Family Division) in 2016 and was appointed as a High Court Judge to the Family Division in 2019.
Mr Justice Richard Meade was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1991 and took Silk in 2008. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2009 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2010. He was appointed as a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division and a Chair of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, both in 2020.
Mr Justice Pushpinder Saini was called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1991 and took Silk in 2008. He was appointed as a s9(4) Deputy High Court Judge (King’s Bench Division) in 2017 and was appointed as a High Court Judge to the King’s Bench Division in 2019. He is the Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit.
