The new legal year has begun, with Alex Norris being sworn in as the Lord Chancellor. This marks the start of the Michaelmas term, the first of four terms in the court year. Norris, who is also the Justice Minister, took the oath at the Royal Courts of Justice, a convention that reflects cooperation between the political post and the judiciary.
The ceremony was followed by a service at Westminster Abbey, attended by the UK’s high court judges, KCs, and others. Norris led the occasion alongside Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, the head of the judiciary. In his speech, Norris emphasized that he is a strong believer in institutions and is committed to defending the rule of law.
Background and Challenges
Norris has been in post for only a few months and has already had to focus on overcrowded prisons and pressure not to release serious prisoners early. He has announced accelerated funding for prison building, which was started under Starmer. He also wants to look at foreign offenders being deported to release prison places (estimating this would free up to 10,000 spaces).
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Given his previous role at the Home Office, these issues are familiar to Norris. However, it remains to be seen how Norris will handle the proposed limits on juries in certain criminal cases, which is a highly controversial issue. This issue comes back to parliament in the Courts and Tribunals Bill in October. So far, he has ducked discussing the issue.
New Legal Year and Legal Appointments
The new legal year comes after the Labour Party Conference, where the Justice Secretary emphasized the need to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. The conference also saw a commitment to get the Hillsborough Law through parliament, which has already passed in the House of Commons and is halfway through its legislative journey in the House of Lords.
Norris’s swearing-in ceremony also saw Ellie Reeves KC, the new Attorney General, and Andy Slaughter, the new Solicitor General, being sworn in. Notably, Norris is the first non-lawyer Lord Chancellor in a Labour cabinet, with only four others in the past not being legally qualified, all of whom were Conservatives.
