In Memoriam – The Rt Hon the Lord Igor Judge
Lord Judge passed away on Tuesday 7 November 2023 at the age of 82. On behalf of the entire judiciary of England and Wales, I have offered our deepest condolences to Lady Judge, his children and grandchildren at this very sad time.
Lord Judge was the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2008 to 2013. He joined the Bench as a Judge of the High Court in 1988 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1996. He was the first President of the Queen’s Bench Division, a role he took up in 2005.
Lord Judge was a brilliant lawyer and the fairest of tribunals. And, as unassuming as he was, his phenomenal intellect and razor-sharp mind were never in doubt, alongside his incisive sense of direction. He led the judiciary tirelessly – with passion, commitment and energy. He was encouraging of every judge whom he encountered, whether in a training room, sitting on the Bench or simply waiting together for a bus.
No list of judicial achievements or legal accolades can do Lord Judge full justice, and this is not the place to recount all of his many successes. But it is perhaps his qualities of humanity and personal warmth that marked him out above all. His words and actions of support, always perfectly-timed and delivered, will be remembered by so many of us. A photograph of him, robed and smiling, hangs immediately in the corridor outside the Lady Chief Justice’s room. His generous spirit shines through, and he will always remain a presence in the corridors of the Royal Courts of Justice.
We share in a collective mourning at the passing of such a great lawyer, judge and leader, and a true champion of the rule of law and an independent judiciary.
The Rt Hon the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill
Lady Chief Justice of England & Wales
