Senior judicial appointments 

The JAC, at the request of the Lord Chancellor, assisted the Lady Chief Justice in the selection of the next Chancellor of the High Court and six new judges for the Court of Appeal.

Appointments

The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Colin Birss has been appointed as the Chancellor of the High Court with effect from 1 November 2025.

Three Lady Justices and three Lord Justices of Appeal have been appointed to fill forthcoming vacancies in the Court of Appeal. The appointees are Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Dove, Mr Justice Foxton, Mrs Justice May, Mr Justice Miles and Mrs Justice Yip.

Selection process

All candidates were required to submit a range of compelling evidence at both the application and interview stages of the competition which included professional qualifications and experience. The Lord Chancellor was consulted ahead of each launch and prior to the interviews; views were also sought from senior members of the judiciary and legal professionals.

Those appointed met the Lord Chancellor’s requirement for exceptionality against the various selection criterion.

Selection panels

The selection panels for these competitions followed the requirements set out in section 79 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

For the Chancellor of the High Court appointment, the panel was chaired by Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Lady Chief Justice, and included Lady Rose (Justice of the Supreme Court), Helen Pitcher OBE (Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission), The Rt. Rev. Dr. Barry Morgan (Lay JAC Commissioner) and Mr Tom Cross KC (Professional JAC Commissioner).

For the Court of Appeal appointments, the panel was chaired by Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Lady Chief Justice, and included Sir Geoffrey Vos (Master of the Rolls), Helen Pitcher OBE (Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission), Sue Hoyle OBE and the Rt. Rev. Dr Barry Morgan (Lay Judicial Appointments Commissioners).