English judges are the professional and lay judicial officers who decide cases in the courts of England and Wales, arranged in a hierarchy that runs from unpaid magistrates in local courts up to the justices of the UK Supreme Court. They are selected on merit through an independent process, protected from political pressure by statute, and paid (where salaried) on a published scale that rises with the seniority of the court.
The Tiers of Judges and What Each One Hears
The type of judge who hears a case depends on how serious or complex the case is. That determines the powers available, the sentences that can be passed, and the route of any appeal.
Magistrates and District Judges
Magistrates sit at the base of the criminal system, where roughly 95 percent of criminal cases begin and end. They are unpaid, part-time volunteers drawn from local communities and handle less serious matters such as motoring offences, minor assaults, and public disorder. They also decide whether more serious charges should be sent up to the Crown Court.1Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. About Magistrates’ Courts
District Judges also work in the lower courts. They hear contested civil claims typically valued up to £25,000 and a range of family law matters.2Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. County Court
Circuit Judges and Recorders
Circuit Judges take on more serious work in both the Crown Court and the County Court. In the Crown Court, they preside over trials for offences like robbery and serious assault, managing juries and passing sentences that can run to many years. In the County Court, they hear civil disputes too substantial or complex for a District Judge. Recorders sit alongside them as part-time appointments, usually expected to serve around 30 sitting days a year, with a jurisdiction that broadly mirrors a Circuit Judge’s but tends toward less complex cases.3Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Recorders
High Court Judges
High Court Judges deal with the most substantial civil litigation, generally claims worth more than £100,000, and the most serious criminal cases such as homicide and complex fraud.4GOV.UK. King’s Bench Division: Bring a Case to the Court The court has three specialist divisions under the Senior Courts Act 1981: the King’s Bench Division (contract disputes, personal injury, judicial review), the Chancery Division (trusts, land, intellectual property, insolvency), and the Family Division (divorce, child arrangements, and related matters).5Justice UK. Practice Direction 7A – How to Start Proceedings – The Claim Form
Court of Appeal and Supreme Court
The Court of Appeal has two branches. The Criminal Division hears appeals from the Crown Court; the Civil Division hears appeals in civil and family matters from the High Court, the County Court, and senior tribunals.6Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Structure of the Courts and Tribunals System Most full appeals are heard by a panel of three judges.
At the top sit the Justices of the UK Supreme Court, the final court of appeal. They hear cases on arguable points of law of the greatest public importance for the whole United Kingdom in civil matters, and for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in criminal matters.7Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. UK Supreme Court They also resolve disputes about whether the devolved governments have acted beyond their authority. One important limit: Parliament remains sovereign, so the Supreme Court cannot strike down an Act of Parliament. Where it finds legislation conflicts with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, it can issue a declaration of incompatibility, but that declaration does not void the law.
A separate tribunals system runs alongside the courts, handling immigration, tax, employment, and social security disputes through its own first-tier and upper-tier judges, with appeals from the Upper Tribunal feeding into the Court of Appeal.6Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Structure of the Courts and Tribunals System
The Head of the Judiciary
The Lady Chief Justice is the most senior judge in England and Wales and the President of the Courts. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the role carries responsibility for representing the views of judges and magistrates to Parliament and government, overseeing judicial welfare and training, and deciding which judges sit in which courts. The Lady Chief Justice also co-manages the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office with the Lord Chancellor and chairs the Sentencing Council, which promotes consistency in criminal sentencing.8Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Lady Chief Justice
Who Qualifies to Become a Judge
The qualifications look very different depending on whether someone is applying to serve as a lay magistrate or as a professional judge.
Lay Magistrates
You do not need a law degree or any formal legal training to become a magistrate. Applicants must be between 18 and 74 and demonstrate good character, maturity, and the ability to weigh evidence fairly. Some jobs create automatic conflicts, such as being a police officer or prison officer if you want to sit in a criminal court. A recent driving ban or a serious criminal record will also likely rule you out.9GOV.UK. Become a Magistrate: Who Can Be a Magistrate
Professional Judges
For salaried judicial posts, the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 introduced the “judicial-appointment eligibility condition.” Candidates must hold a relevant legal qualification (solicitor, barrister, or in some cases a chartered legal executive qualification) and must have spent a specified number of years gaining legal experience. Most posts require either five or seven years, which can include practising law, teaching or researching law, advising on legal matters, or serving as an arbitrator.10Legislation.gov.uk. Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 Before appointment to a salaried role, candidates typically need at least two years of part-time judicial experience as a fee-paid judge.
All applicants must be citizens of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, or a Commonwealth country at the time of application.11Judicial Appointments Commission. Check You’re Eligible
How Judges Are Selected
Before 2006, the Lord Chancellor personally selected most judges. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 replaced that system with the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), an independent body that selects on merit for judicial roles up to and including the High Court.12Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Judicial Appointments Commission
The process runs in three stages. Candidates apply with a self-assessment of their skills and nominate independent assessors. The JAC then shortlists, sometimes using a name-blind sift, and large exercises may include an online test. Shortlisted candidates attend a selection day involving a role-play exercise, a competency interview, and situational questions designed to test how they would handle real courtroom scenarios.13Judicial Appointments Commission. Selection Process The commission recommends a candidate to the Lord Chancellor for final approval.
Lay magistrates follow a different route. Advisory Committees recruit on behalf of the Lord Chancellor in specific local justice areas. Before applying, prospective magistrates must complete court observations in criminal proceedings or conduct research on the family court.14Magistrates Recruitment. Upcoming Recruitment Dates
The Supreme Court has its own mechanism. When a vacancy arises, the Lord Chancellor convenes an independent selection commission that includes the President of the Supreme Court, a senior UK judge, and one member each from the judicial appointments bodies of England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The commission advertises the vacancy, interviews, and submits a recommendation. The Lord Chancellor can accept, reject, or ask for reconsideration in limited circumstances. If accepted, the recommendation passes to the Prime Minister, who advises the King to make the formal appointment.15The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Appointment of Justices
What Judges Are Paid
Judicial salaries are set by the government and published annually. For April 2025 to March 2026, the headline full-time salaried rates are:
- District Judge: £139,450
- Circuit Judge: £171,450
- High Court Judge: £239,500
- Court of Appeal Judge: £271,500
These figures do not include the separate daily fees paid to part-time judicial office holders such as Recorders.16GOV.UK. Judicial Salaries 2025 to 2026 Magistrates receive no salary, though they can claim allowances for travel and lost earnings. The reformed judicial pension scheme, JPS 2022, came into effect in April 2022 under the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 and covers both salaried and fee-paid judges as a career average scheme.17UK Parliament. Ministry of Justice: Judicial Pensions Scheme Supplementary Estimate 2025-26: Estimates Memorandum
Independence, Tenure, and Accountability
The principle that judges must be free from government pressure is written into law. Section 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 imposes a duty on the Lord Chancellor and all ministers to uphold the continued independence of the judiciary. Ministers are specifically prohibited from trying to influence particular judicial decisions through any special access to judges.18Legislation.gov.uk. Constitutional Reform Act 2005 – Section 3 On taking office, every judge swears the Judicial Oath, promising to “do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will.”19Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Oaths
Judges also enjoy immunity from civil lawsuits for decisions made in their judicial capacity, a common law protection that lets them decide cases without fear of being sued personally by an unhappy litigant.
Senior judges hold office “during good behaviour” rather than at the pleasure of the government, a principle established by the Act of Settlement in 1701. Removing a High Court or Court of Appeal judge requires a formal petition from both Houses of Parliament to the King. That power has never been exercised against a judge in England and Wales. The only time it was used anywhere in the former United Kingdom courts was in 1830, when an Irish judge was removed for misappropriating litigants’ funds.20Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Judges and Parliament
Independence does not mean judges are beyond scrutiny. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) investigates complaints about the personal behaviour of judges, magistrates, coroners, and tribunal members. It cannot overturn a judge’s legal decisions; the only way to challenge a ruling is through the appeals process in a higher court.21Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Judicial Conduct Investigations Office Where misconduct is established, the Lady Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor can impose sanctions including formal advice, warnings, or reprimands.22Judicial Conduct Investigations Office. Judicial Conduct Investigations Office The most common complaints involve discourteous behaviour or delays.
Retirement
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 raised the mandatory retirement age for judicial office holders from 70 to 75, across all levels from magistrates to Supreme Court justices.23Department of Finance. Summary of Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 Judges can retire earlier, and some transition into part-time sitting before the age limit. Retired senior judges under 75 may also be invited to sit in retirement on a temporary basis to help manage court backlogs.