The Judicial Appointments Commission selects candidates for judicial office in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide powers.
History of the Judicial Appointments Commission
It is our statutory duty to select candidates on merit, who are of good character. We believe in a judiciary that reflects the diverse society it serves and we have a statutory duty to attract diverse applicants from a wide field. We work closely with a range of organisations to promote vacancies to all those who are eligible. Read more about our Diversity and Equality information.
Our organisation is made up of 15 Commissioners, supported by our Senior Leadership Team, Panel Members and around 90 staff.
What we do
We are responsible for running selection exercises and making recommendations for posts up to and including the High Court. We also participate in, at the request of the Lord Chancellor and alongside the Lord Chief Justice, the selection of senior judicial office holders such as the Lord Chief Justice, the High Court Heads of Division, the Senior President of Tribunals and Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal.
We do not select magistrates or judicial office-holders for the UK Supreme Court but in the case of the latter, the Chairman of the JAC sits on the selection panel.
We consistently evaluate our work and processes, making sure we operate in a way that is fair and transparent, and looking for ways to improve.
Our Strategy
Our 2020-2023 Strategy has been designed to meet the judiciary’s expected recruitment needs throughout this time. You can read more about our Regular recruitment exercises here.
The recruitment process begins when the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service asks us to run a selection exercise in a vacancy request. The vacancy request sets out the number of posts available, jurisdiction, circuit or region. Some exercises might be generic rather than specific to a jurisdiction or location.
Candidates are selected for immediate appointment or identified for a future appointment when vacancies arise.
Once selected, candidates are recommended by us to the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice or the Senior President of Tribunals.
Publications
We produce annual reports and accounts and publish statistical data on judicial appointments. You can read about our work to attract diverse candidates and ensure fair selection processes here: Diversity updates.
More information
Recent judgements
On Friday 16th February, the JAC received the final judgment on the Ghosh vs JAC race discrimination case. The employment tribunal found strongly in the JAC’s favour, whereby claims of direct and indirect discrimination to Mr. Ghosh by the JAC have been dismissed.
The final judgement is available to read online here: Final judgement – Ghosh v JAC
The Judicial Appointments Regulations 2013