Who are the Judiciary?

• Independence
• Impartiality
• Integrity

The judiciary is made up of judges, magistrates, tribunal members, and coroners.

Together, they uphold the rule of law.

Judges and other members of the judiciary oversee cases, in different types of courts and tribunals and in different areas of law across the country.

Find out more

Latest judgments

• November 21, 2025

  R -v- Nathan Gill

• November 21, 2025

  Re: R (A Child)

• November 20, 2025

  Ammori -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department (order)

• November 20, 2025

  University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and another -v- BV

Latest news

• November 21, 2025

  Lord Justice Dove

  Lord Justice Ian Dove was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1986 and took Silk in 2003. He was appointed as a Fee-Paid Immigration Adjudicator (now a Fee-Paid Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)) in 2000, a Recorder in 2003 and authorised as a Deputy High Court Judge to hear cases […]

• November 20, 2025

  Speech by Lord Justice Singh: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal

  The Judge reflected on his seven years as the Tribunal President in his speech to University College London

• November 19, 2025

  Lady Justice May

  Read the biography of Lady Justice May

• November 18, 2025

  Speech by the President of the Family Division: Domestic Abuse and the Family Court

  Read the speech given by Sir Andrew McFarlane at the Association of Lawyers for Children’s annual conference

Find out more

Business and Property Courts

Specialist courts which decide business, commercial, property and other chancery disputes and technology and construction disputes, both domestic and international.

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal deals exclusively with people challenging the decisions made by other courts or tribunals. It has two divisions, Criminal and Civil (the latter also hears family appeals).

High Court

The High Court hears the most serious administrative, civil and family cases. It has three divisions – King’s Bench, Family and Chancery.

Tribunals

The Tribunals are specialist judicial bodies whose judges and members hear a wide range of cases, such as tax, employment, and immigration and asylum. The Upper Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal hear appeals challenging some tribunal decisions.

See more courts and tribunals

Magistrates’ courts

Magistrates, or Justices of the Peace as they are also known, are trained, volunteer members of the local community who make decisions in criminal and family cases in Magistrates’ courts and the Family Court. The most complex cases in Magistrates’ courts are heard by District Judges who are legally qualified specialists.

Coroners’ courts

Coroners investigate certain deaths which are deemed to be unnatural, violent, or where the cause is unknown.

Popular links

Family Justice Council

Civil Justice Council

Appointments and retirements

Court of Appeal live hearings