Lady Chief Justice annual press conference 2024
The Lady Chief Justice, The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, held her annual press conference on Tuesday 6 February 2024, at the Royal Courts of Justice.
It was her first press conference as Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, having started her new role in October 2023.
Baroness Carr covered a number of topics including: her ambitions and challenges in her role, the importance of judicial independence, court backlogs and the timeliness of cases, working further towards One Judiciary for the courts and tribunals, further transparency in coverage of cases, the Post Office Horizon scandal, the Single Justice Procedure, diversity of the judiciary, supporting young women and girls appearing in the courts, and more.
She told the national and specialist media attending the conference: “I’m really looking forward in the short term to giving the judiciary my voice. I want to be an ambassador for the judiciary across the board. I have gained, if I didn’t have it before, I think I’ve gained the trust of the judges, and I want in the short term to raise our profile and to raise public understanding of what we do, why we do it, and why it’s so important, and the value that we bring,”
Baroness Carr added: “My biggest asset is my judges, they are extraordinary, they work in extremely difficult conditions, they work tirelessly and they are committed, they really are committed to serving the public and the rule of law, and that is a very special thing and you feel it every day when you go out and about in the country visiting courts.”
- The full transcript of the press conference can be read below.