Washminster

Washminster
Washminster

Wednesday 26 November 2008

How many judges?

Marcel Berlins wrote an interesting piece in yesterday's Guardian ('Writ Large' - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/24/lawlords-uk-supreme-court-chagos) which will be of interest to Law students and those interested in comparative legal institutions.

He points out that the US Supreme Court delivers decisions which usually involve all nine justices - wheras in the UK panels consisting of five out of the 12 Law Lords are the norm. He points out that this can lead to a lottery, the result depending upon whether one or another Lord Lord is part of the panel hearing a specific case. The argument he advances in his piece is worth considering.
Comments about the appropriate size of the top court in a country would be welcomed on this blog.