New Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) and Deputy Senior Presiding Judge (DSPJ) appointed
The Lady Chief Justice, with the agreement of the Lord Chancellor, has appointed Lady Justice Yip as Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) for a two-year term, with effect from 1 October 2026. She will succeed Lord Justice Green whose two-year term as SPJ ends on 30 September 2026.
The SPJ acts on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice to maintain the operational effectiveness of courts below the High Court. The role includes overseeing judicial deployment across jurisdictions, working closely with the Judicial Office, HMCTS and Ministry of Justice and contributing to judicial governance through chairing and attending judicial and HMCTS boards. The DSPJ supports the work of the SPJ.
The Lady Chief Justice has also appointed Mr Justice Johnson as Deputy Senior Presiding Judge (DSPJ) for a two-year term, with effect from 1 October 2026.
The Lady Chief Justice said:
“I am delighted to announce that Lady Justice Yip will be the next Senior Presiding Judge of England and Wales. The knowledge and insight that she has gained as Deputy Senior Presiding Judge, combined with her leadership expertise from her time as Presiding Judge of the Northern Circuit, make her ideally placed to take on the role”.
“I am also delighted to announce that Mr Justice Johnson will become the next Deputy Senior Presiding Judge. As well as his leadership experience gained as Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit, his knowledge of IT and Artificial Intelligence in particular will be a huge asset as we continue to develop our technological capacity”.
Lady Justice Yip biography
Amanda Yip was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1991 and practised at Exchange Chambers in Liverpool, commencing with a broad practice encompassing crime, civil and family law before specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence work. She was appointed a Recorder in 2009, Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2011, and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2013.
She was appointed to the High Court in 2017 (Queen’s Bench Division, now King’s Bench Division). She was appointed Director of Civil Training for the Judicial College in 2019, served as Presiding Judge of the Northern Circuit from 2020 to 2023 and became Deputy Senior Presiding Judge in October 2024.
Mr Justice Johnson biography
Jeremy Johnson was called to the Bar in 1994 and practised in general common law and public law. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2010, a Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2011, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2016 and a High Court Judge (Queen’s Bench Division, now King’s Bench Division) in 2019. In 2020 he was appointed a temporary Judicial Commissioner by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. In 2023 he was appointed a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. He is nominated to hear terrorism cases and is authorised to sit in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
He has been the Judge in Charge of IT Live Services since 2021, chairs the AI component of the Criminal Courts Improvement Group, and was Lead Crime Judge for part of the HMCTS Reform Programme. He has been a Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit since 2024.