The Safest Shield: Lectures, Speeches and Essays

by Igor Judge

Overview

This selection of lectures, essays and speeches by Lord Judge, nearly all written when he was Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, brings together his analysis of a wide range of topics which underpin the administration of justice and the rule of law. Apart from a few personal reflections, the discussion ranges from the development of our constitutional arrangements to matters of continuing constitutional uncertainty, with observations about different aspects of the court process and the discharge of judicial responsibilities. Based on Lord Judge's experience in the law and a deep interest in history, this selection offers sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes amusing, but always stimulating reading, and will provoke thoughtful reflection on and better understanding of the arrangements by which we are governed and the practical application of the rule of law.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509901890
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/19/2015
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Lord Judge was first appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1988 and was Lord Chief Justice and Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales from 2008 until 2013.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

Towards a Constitution

Magna Carta: Luck or Judgement 7

William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke 24

1361 and All That 32

Authorised Version of the Bible: 'Divine Right' 38

'No Taxation Without Representation': A British Perspective on Constitutional Arrangements 55

Continuing Constitutional Concerns

Constitutional Change: Unfinished Business 73

Sovereignty: A View from London 89

Parliamentary Self-Government 94

Henry VIII Clauses 99

Assisted Suicide: Moral and Constitutional Issues 107

Liberties and Rights

Equality before the Law 123

Human Rights: Today and Tomorrow 132

The Judiciary and the Media 141

Press Regulation 158

The Welsh Language: Some Reflections 166

Administration of Justice

The Art of Advocacy 183

Trial by Jury 198

Half a Century of Change: The Evidence of Child Victims 211

The Evidence of Child Victims: The Next Stage 225

Expert Evidence and Accreditation 239

Miscarriages of Justice 247

The Sentencing Decision 257

The Judiciary

Judicial Independence and Responsibilities 273

Being a Judge Today (2013) 283

Judicial Studies: Reflections on the Past and Thoughts for the Future 294

Judicial Diversity 309

Personal Reflections

Celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen 317

Catastrophic Spinal Injuries 320

History of the Middle Temple: Introduction 324

Future of the Inn: The Middle Temple 330

Why Read Law? 344

Induction Seminar: Welcome 354

Reginald Walter Michael Dias QC 358

David Thomas QC 364

Our Independent Judiciary 366

Editorial Reviews

Lord Judge was not just any old judge, but was a model occupant of an ancient office that is more than 700 years old.
” —The Daily Telegraph

“Though he had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly what the public was thinking – about crime, about sentencing and much else – he was always the judge's judge …Little wonder then that, when he had delivered his last formal judgment as lord chief justice, he was treated to something I have never before encountered in a court of law: nearly 300 people rising as one and breaking into sustained, whole-hearted applause.” —The Guardian

“I was superbly entertained, informed and mesmerised by the lucid, thought-provoking and able contribution put forward by the author, at a time when he was Lord Chief Justice, on a legion of themes, not least on the subjects of the evidence on children, sentencing, advocacy, human rights, judicial independence and the liberty of the subject tributary to the rule of law.” —Criminal Law Jourbanal

“[Lord] Judge has an accessible and relaxed style, which ensures that the reader is immediately engaged and carried along by these pieces. However, the style also results in the reader almost being taken unawares by the depth and breadth of the author's scholarship; his deep attachment to his country, its history and its institutions; and his passionate commitment to justice and the rule of law.” —The Middle Templar Magazine

“[These] writings resonate with history as well as humanity.” —The Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher