Happy New Year. For the first quiz of the year, I thought I would focus on departed friends – the law lords. They left the House of Lords for the Supreme Court – just across the road in Parliament Square – in 2009. They had carried out the judicial role of the House of Lords for well over a century. As usual, the first two readers to get the correct answers will be the winners.
1. It is often thought that the first life peerages were created under the Life Peerages Act 1958. In fact, the first life peers were the law lords, created by statute as Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. What was the Act that created such peerages?
2. When the law lords sat for judicial hearings, which was the principal committee room (known by its number) that they used for the purpose? It is now dominated by a large picture of the law lords delivering judgments.
3. A law lord used to chair Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) of the European Union Committee. Who was the last law lord to do so?
4. Who is the latest law lord to retire from the Supreme Court and resume his seat in the House?
1. The Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876
2. Committee Room No. 1
3. Lord Mance
4. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers was the last to retire, although I think that Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood resumed his seat later than Lord Phillips
1. The Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 (as amended by the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1887)
2. Committee Room 1
3. Lord Mance?
4. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
And All the Seasons Greetings to you Lord Norton et al;
whilst somebody in a city street responded to my greeting “Happy New Year to you” with “Happy Old Year to you “;
the topical link with your Law-Lords quiz is, I submit, that:
one Purpose of the Upper House is to provide both current-expertise and historical-knowledge and wisdom;
and that the removal of the Law-Lords was an ‘amputation’ of a vital-organ, the House of Lords as-it-were ‘shooting itself in the foot’ ?
————
Whilst I have in my head none of the answers called for, I nonetheless shall be interested to see them;
and would be even more appreciative of a condensation of the special knowledge, aptitude and application of each such law-lord mentioned here,
and of any other who has done, or is doing, ‘back-up’ checking & balancing, and historical-experiential and judiciary-fact-founded monitoring.
Would that wish be alright ?
1. The Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 I believe.
2. Committee room no.1
3. Lord Mance
4. While Lord Collins of Mapesbury is the latest to retire, as far as I’m aware he hasn’t resumed his seat, unlike Lord Saville of Newdigate who sits on the Crossbenches.
I think I need to ammend 4! Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers was the last to retire, but I still think that Lord Saville of Newdigate is the latest to resume his seat.
1) Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 – although I couldn’t name the many abortive attempts before that to allow life peerages…
2) Committee Room 1
3) Lord Mance, I think
4) Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
2. 1
1. The Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876
2. Committee Room 1
3. Lord Mance
4.Lord Dyson (retired Sept 30 2012, became Master of the Rolls Oct 1 2012)
Steven A. King: It is not just peers who are members of the Supreme Court who are excluded from the House during their period of office. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, other peers who hold judicial offices are also excluded. That includes the Master of the Rolls.
and to make matters more confusing Lord Dyson isn’t a peer (yet?) (but has the style following the Queen’s declaration that all Supreme Court Justices will be styled as ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’ for life, regardless of whether they hold a peerage).
JH: Indeed. There is also the issue of what happens to those who are appointed to the Supreme Court, not previously being law lords or otherwise ennobled, and who then retire. There is no indication that they will be made peers and it would be somewhat invidious for some to be ennobled and others not.
Huh, I was told that the Law Lords gave judgements in the chamber, with the plaintiff standing at the dock of the House. I guess that’s wrong, then?
Malden Capell: Law Lords did deliver judgements in the chamber – the picture is of them in the chamber – but hearings were held in a committee room.
Everyone got the first three answers correct. It was the last that caused the problem. Ulysses is the only one who picked up on the fact that Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood resumed his seat in the House later than Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers. It was Lord Brown that I was looking for, though Lord Phillips was the latest law lord to retire and I am therefore happy to accept his name in answer as well. Ulysses wins clearly as he was the first to answer. The winners are therefore Ulysses and JH.