Supreme Court of the United Kingdom - wikipedia Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Not to be confused with the Supreme Court of Judicature. This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia 's quality standards. The specific problem is : parts of the article, particularly those on the court 's establishment and history, are thought to read like a `` press release '' or an `` apologia ''. The affected parts of the article can possibly be improved with an addition of post-2010 / 2015 sources to counterbalance. Please help improve this article if you can. ( December 2016 ) Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Welsh : Goruchaf Lys y Deyrnas Unedig Badge of the Supreme Court Established 1 October 2009 Country United Kingdom Location Middlesex Guildhall, London, England Composition method Appointed by the Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister Authorized by Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Part 3 Judge term length Life tenure with mandatory retirement at the age of 70 or 75 depending on date of appointment No. of positions 12 Website www.supremecourt.uk President Currently The Baroness Hale of Richmond Since 5 September 2017 Deputy President Currently Lord Reed Since 7 June 2018 The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ( sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym UKSC ) is the supreme court in all matters under English and Welsh law, Northern Irish law and Scottish civil law. It is the court of last resort and the highest appellate court in the United Kingdom, although the High Court of Justiciary remains the court of last resort for criminal law in Scotland ( except in respect of devolution and human rights issues ). The Supreme Court also has jurisdiction to resolve disputes relating to devolution in the United Kingdom and concerning the legal powers of the three devolved governments ( in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ) or laws made by the devolved legislatures. The Supreme Court was established by Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and started work on 1 October 2009. It assumed the judicial functions of the House of Lords, which had been exercised by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary ( commonly called `` Law Lords '' ), the 12 judges appointed as members of the House of Lords to carry out its judicial business. Its jurisdiction over devolution matters had previously been exercised by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The United Kingdom has a doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, so the Supreme Court is much more limited in its powers of judicial review than the constitutional or supreme courts of some other countries. It can not overturn any primary legislation made by Parliament. However, it can overturn secondary legislation if, for example, that legislation is found to be ultra vires to the powers in primary legislation allowing it to be made. Further, under section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Supreme Court, like some other courts in the United Kingdom, may make a declaration of incompatibility, indicating that it believes that the legislation subject to the declaration is incompatible with one of the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights. Such a declaration can apply to primary or secondary legislation. The legislation is not overturned by the declaration, and neither Parliament nor the government is required to agree with any such declaration. However, if they do accept a declaration, ministers can exercise powers under section 10 of the act to amend the legislation by statutory instrument to remove the incompatibility or ask Parliament to amend the legislation. The current President of the Supreme Court is Baroness Hale of Richmond, and its Deputy President is Lord Reed. Contents 1 History 2 Jurisdiction and powers 3 Administration 4 Other supreme courts in the United Kingdom 5 Justices 5.1 Acting judges 5.2 Appointment process 6 Building 7 Badge 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links History The creation of a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom was first mooted in a consultation paper published by the Department of Constitutional Affairs in July 2003. Although the paper noted that there had been no criticism of the then - current Law Lords or any indication of an actual bias, it argued that the separation of the judicial functions of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords from the legislative functions of the House of Lords should be made explicit. The paper noted the following concerns : Whether there was any longer sufficient transparency of independence from the executive and the legislature to give assurance of the independence of the judiciary. The requirement for the appearance of impartiality and independence limited the ability of the Law Lords to contribute to the work of the House itself, thus reducing the value to both them and the House of their membership. It was not always understood by the public that judicial decisions of `` the House of Lords '' were in fact taken by the Judicial Committee and that non-judicial members were never involved in the judgments. Conversely, it was felt that the extent to which the Law Lords themselves had decided to refrain from getting involved in political issues in relation to legislation on which they might later have had to adjudicate was not always appreciated. The new President of the Court, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, has claimed that the old system had confused people and that with the Supreme Court there would for the first time be a clear separation of powers among the judiciary, the legislature and the executive. Space within the House of Lords was at a constant premium and a separate supreme court would ease the pressure on the Palace of Westminster. The main argument against a new Supreme Court was that the previous system had worked well and kept costs down. Reformers expressed concern that this second main example of a mixture of the legislative, judicial and executive might conflict with professed values under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Officials who make or execute laws have an interest in court cases that put those laws to the test. When the state invests judicial authority in those officials or even their day - to - day colleagues, it puts the independence and impartiality of the courts at risk. Consequently, it was hypothesised closely connected decisions of the Law Lords to debates had by friends or on which the Lord Chancellor had expressed a view might be challenged on Human Rights grounds on the basis that they had not constituted a fair trial. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, later President of the Supreme Court, expressed fear that the new court could make itself more powerful than the House of Lords committee it succeeded, saying that there is a real risk of `` judges arrogating to themselves greater power than they have at the moment ''. Lord Phillips said such an outcome was `` a possibility '', but was `` unlikely ''. The reforms were controversial and were brought forward with little consultation but were subsequently extensively debated in Parliament. During 2004, a select committee of the House of Lords scrutinised the arguments for and against setting up a new court. The Government estimated the set - up cost of the Supreme Court at £ 56.9 million. The Supreme Court was established by Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and started work on 1 October 2009. It assumed the judicial functions of the House of Lords, which had been exercised by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary ( commonly called `` Law Lords '' ), the 12 professional judges appointed as members of the House of Lords to carry out its judicial business. Its jurisdiction over devolution matters had previously been exercised by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The first case heard by the Supreme Court was HM Treasury v Ahmed, which concerned `` the separation of powers '', according to Phillips, its inaugural President. At issue was the extent to which Parliament has, by the United Nations Act 1946, delegated to the executive the power to legislate. Resolution of this issue depended upon the approach properly to be adopted by the court in interpreting legislation which may affect fundamental rights at common law or under the European Convention on Human Rights. Because of the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, the Supreme Court is much more limited in its powers of judicial review than the constitutional or supreme courts of some other countries. It can not overturn any primary legislation made by Parliament. However, it can overturn secondary legislation if, for example, that legislation is found to be ultra vires to the powers in primary legislation allowing it to be made. Further, under section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Supreme Court, like some other courts in the United Kingdom, may make a declaration of incompatibility, indicating that it believes that the legislation subject to the declaration is incompatible with one of the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights. Such a declaration can apply to primary or secondary legislation. The legislation is not overturned by the declaration, and neither Parliament nor the government is required to agree with any such declaration. However, if they do accept a declaration, ministers can exercise powers under section 10 of the act to amend the legislation by statutory instrument to remove the incompatibility or ask Parliament to amend the legislation. The current President of the Supreme Court is Baroness Hale of Richmond, and its Deputy President is Lord Reed. Jurisdiction and powers This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2016 ) United Kingdom This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United Kingdom Constitution Constitution Cabinet Manual Erskine May Taxation European Communities Act 1972 The Crown British Monarchy Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Heir apparent The Prince of Wales Royal family Succession to the British throne Royal prerogative Executive HM Government Prime Minister Theresa May Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond Cabinet Current ministry Her Majesty 's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Public bodies List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies Privy Council Crown - in - Council Queen Elizabeth II Legislature Parliament ( 56th Parliament ) Crown - in - Parliament Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord Fowler House of Commons Speaker John Bercow Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn Her Majesty 's Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet Member of Parliament ( MP ) State Opening of Parliament Prime Minister 's Questions Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament relating to the EU Statutory Instruments English Grand Committee Scottish Grand Committee Welsh Grand Committee Northern Ireland Grand Committee English law Reserved matters Judiciary Supreme Court President The Baroness Hale of Richmond Deputy President The Lord Mance Judges of the Supreme Court Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Scotland Courts of Northern Ireland Pound Sterling Bank of England Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Chief Cashier of the Bank of England Royal Mint Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Legislative consent motions Scotland Government Parliament Act of the Scottish Parliament Scottish statutory instrument Scottish law Wales Government National Assembly Act of the National Assembly for Wales Welsh law Northern Ireland Executive Assembly Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland law England Governance of England English votes for English laws Greater London Authority Executive Mayor Mayoral cabinet Assembly London Plan Combined authorities Metro mayors Cornwall Council Administrative Geography England Subdivisions of England Local government in England Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland Local government in Scotland Wales Local government in Wales Northern Ireland Local government in Northern Ireland Elections Parliamentary constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Referendums Crown Dependencies Guernsey Alderney Sark Herm Isle of Man Jersey Common Travel Area Overseas Territories Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena Ascension Island Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territories Act 2002 British Overseas Territories citizen Visa requirements for British Overseas Territories citizens Foreign relations Foreign policy History Australia -- United Kingdom relations Canada - United Kingdom relations European Union -- United Kingdom relations France -- United Kingdom relations Ireland - United Kingdom relations New Zealand - United Kingdom relations United Kingdom -- United States relations Politics of the European Union The Commonwealth Member states of the Commonwealth United Kingdom and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 G7 G20 United Kingdom portal Other countries Atlas The Middlesex Guildhall in London is the location of the Supreme Court The main role of the Supreme Court is to hear appeals from the courts in England and Wales and also from the courts in Northern Ireland, and also appeals from the Court of Session in Scotland regarding civil ( but not criminal - law ) cases or matters. For Scottish civil cases decided prior to September 2015, permission to appeal from the Court of Session was not required and any such case can proceed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom if two Advocates certify that an appeal is suitable. The entry into force of the Courts Reform ( Scotland ) Act 2014 has essentially brought the procedure for current and future Scottish civil cases into line with England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where permission to appeal is required, either from the Court of Appeal or from a Justice of the Supreme Court itself. The Supreme Court 's focus is on cases that raise points of law of general public importance. As with the former Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, appeals from many fields of law are likely to be selected for hearing, including commercial disputes, family matters, judicial review claims against public authorities and issues under the Human Rights Act 1998. The Supreme Court also hears some criminal appeals, but not from Scotland, as there is no general right of appeal from the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland 's highest criminal court, other than with respect to devolution issues. The Supreme Court also determines `` devolution issues '' ( as defined by the Scotland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 2006 ). These are legal proceedings about the powers of the three devolved administrations -- the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Government and the National Assembly for Wales. Devolution issues were previously heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and most are about compliance with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, brought into national law by the Devolution Acts and the Human Rights Act 1998. Ordinarily, all twelve justices do not all hear every case. Typically a case is heard by a panel of five justices, though sometimes the panel may consist of three, seven or nine members. The justices are also members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and spend some of their time in that capacity. Administration The Supreme Court has a separate administration from the other courts of the United Kingdom, with its administration is under a Chief Executive who is appointed by the Court 's President. Other Supreme courts in the United Kingdom The High Court of Justiciary, the Court of Session, and the Office of the Accountant of Court comprise the College of Justice, and are known as the Supreme Courts of Scotland. Before 1 October 2009 there were two other courts known as supreme court, namely the Supreme Court of England and Wales ( known as the Supreme Court of Judicature until 1981 ), which was created in the 1870s under the Judicature Acts, and the Supreme Court of Judicature in Northern Ireland, each of which consisted of a Court of Appeal, a High Court of Justice and a Crown Court. When the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 came into force these became known as the Senior Courts of England and Wales and the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland respectively. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council also retains jurisdiction over certain matters. The judicial functions of the House of Lords have all been abolished, other than the trial of impeachments, a procedure which has been obsolete for 200 years. Justices Main article : Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The court is composed of the President and Deputy President and ten Justices of the Supreme Court. They are not subject to term limits but may be removed from office on the address of Parliament. Like all British judges, Supreme Court justices are obliged to retire at age 70 if first appointed to a judicial office after 31 March 1995 or at age 75 otherwise. The President and Deputy President of the court are separately appointed to those roles. Ten Lords of Appeal in Ordinary ( Law Lords ) holding office on 1 October 2009 became the first justices of the 12 - member Supreme Court. The 11th place on the Supreme Court was filled by Lord Clarke of Stone - cum - Ebony ( formerly the Master of the Rolls ), who was the first Justice to be appointed directly to the Supreme Court. One of the former Law Lords, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, was appointed to replace Clarke as Master of the Rolls, and so did not move to the new court. Lord ( formerly Sir John ) Dyson became the 12th and final justice of the Supreme Court on 13 April 2010. In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II granted Justices who are not peers use of the title Lord or Lady, by warrant under the royal sign - manual. The Senior Law Lord on 1 October 2009, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, became the Supreme Court 's first President, and the Second Senior Law Lord, Lord Hope of Craighead, became the first Deputy President. On 30 September 2010 Lord Saville of Newdigate became the first Justice to retire, followed by Lord Collins of Mapesbury on 7 May 2011, although the latter remained as an acting Justice until the end of July 2011. In June 2011 Lord Rodger of Earlsferry became the first Justice to die in office after a short illness. Acting judges In addition to the ten permanent Justices, the President may request other senior judges drawn from two groups to sit as `` acting judges '' of the Supreme Court. The first group are those judges who hold ' office as a senior territorial judge ' : judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, judges of the Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland and judges of the First or Second Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session in Scotland. The second group are known as the ' supplementary panel '. The President may approve in writing retired senior judges ' membership of this panel if they are under 75 years of age ( a system similar to senior status in the United States Federal Courts of Appeal ). Appointment process The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 makes provision for a new appointment process for Justices of the Supreme Court. A selection commission is to be formed when vacancies arise. This is to be composed of the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court and a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission of England and Wales, the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission. In October 2007, the Ministry of Justice announced that this appointment process would be adopted on a voluntary basis for appointments of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. The commission selects one person for the vacancy and notifies the Lord Chancellor of its choice. The Lord Chancellor then either approves the commission 's selection rejects the commission 's selection, or asks the commission to reconsider its selection. If the Lord Chancellor approves the person selected by the commission, the Prime Minister must then recommend that person to the Monarch for appointment. New judges appointed to the Supreme Court after its creation will not necessarily receive peerages ; however, they are given the courtesy title of Lord or Lady upon appointment. The President and Deputy President are appointed to those roles rather than being the most senior by tenure in office. Building Main article : Middlesex Guildhall Bench and inscription outside UK Supreme Court, `` Lines for the Supreme Court '' by Andrew Motion Court 1 in the Supreme Court building The court is housed in Middlesex Guildhall -- which it shares with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council -- in the City of Westminster. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 gave time for a suitable building to be found and fitted out before the Law Lords moved out of the Houses of Parliament, where they had previously used a series of rooms in the Palace of Westminster. After a lengthy survey of suitable sites, including Somerset House, the Government announced that the new court would be at the Middlesex Guildhall, in Parliament Square, Westminster. That decision was examined by the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and the grant of planning permission by Westminster City Council for refurbishment works was challenged in a judicial review by the conservation group SAVE Britain 's Heritage. It was also reported that English Heritage had been put under great pressure to approve the alterations. Feilden + Mawson, supported by Foster & Partners, were the appointed architects. The building had been used as the Middlesex Quarter Sessions House, adding later its County Council chamber, and lastly as a Crown Court. Badge The emblem with stylised depictions of the four floral emblems. The official badge of the Supreme Court was granted by the College of Arms in October 2008. It comprises both the Greek letter omega ( representing finality ) and the symbol of Libra ( symbolising the scales of justice ), in addition to the four floral emblems of the United Kingdom : a Tudor rose, representing England, conjoined with the leaves of a leek, representing Wales ; a flax blossom for Northern Ireland ; and a thistle, representing Scotland. Two adapted versions of its official badge are used by the Supreme Court. One features the words `` The Supreme Court '' and the letter omega in black ( in the official badge granted by the College of Arms, the interior of the Latin and Greek letters are gold and white, respectively ), and displays a simplified version of the crown ( also in black ) and larger, stylised versions of the floral emblems ; this modified version of the badge is featured on the new Supreme Court website, as well as in the forms that will be used by the Supreme Court. A further variant omits the crown entirely and is featured prominently throughout the building. Another emblem is formed from a more abstract set of depictions of the four floral emblems and is used in the carpets of the Middlesex Guildhall designed by Sir Peter Blake, creator of such works as the cover of The Beatles ' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band. See also Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Northern Ireland Courts of Scotland 2009 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2010 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2011 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2012 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2013 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2014 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2015 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2016 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 2017 Judgments of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom List of House of Lords cases UKSCblog References ^ Jump up to : `` Part 3, Constitutional Reform Act 2005 ''. Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. 4. 24 March 2005. p. 3. Retrieved 2 September 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Constitutional Reform : A Supreme Court for the United Kingdom ''. Department of Constitutional Affairs. July 2003. Jump up ^ `` New Supreme Court opens with media barred ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2010. For the first time, we have a clear separation of powers between the legislature, the judiciary and the executive in the United Kingdom. This is important. It emphasises the independence of the judiciary, clearly separating those who make the law from those who administer it. Jump up ^ Wakeham report 2000, Chapter 9, Recommendation 57. Jump up ^ `` The Supreme Court is an unnecessary attack on the constitution ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2010. The Government argued that there must be a separation in order to comply with Article Six of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees a fair trial. Jump up ^ Rozenberg, Joshua ( 8 September 2009 ). `` Fear over UK Supreme Court impact ''. BBC News. Jump up ^ See A Le Sueur, ' From Appellate Committee to Supreme Court : A Narrative ', chap 5 in L. Blom - Cooper, G. Drewry and B. Dickson ( eds ), The Judicial House of Lords ( Oxford University Press, 2009 ) ; Queen Mary School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 17 / 2009. Available at SSRN : http://ssrn.com/abstract=1374357 Jump up ^ `` Lords Select Committee on the Constitutional Reform Bill First Report ''. Jump up ^ `` Written Answer of the Ministry of Justice to question posed by Lord Steinberg ( Col. WA102 ''. Lords Hansard. 26 March 2008. Jump up ^ Statutory Instrument 2009 No. 1604 The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 ( Commencement No. 11 ) Order 2009 ( Coming into force 2009 - 10 - 01 ) Jump up ^ `` Britain 's new Supreme Court ''. Times Literary Supplement, 2 September 2009 Jump up ^ Court, The Supreme. `` FAQs - The Supreme Court ''. www.supremecourt.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2018. Jump up ^ Mental Health Act 1983 ( Remedial ) Order 2001, Naval Discipline Act 1957 ( Remedial ) Order 2004 and Marriage Act 1949 ( Remedial ) Order 2007. Jump up ^ Court, The Supreme. `` Biographies of the Justices -- The Supreme Court ''. www.supremecourt.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` 404 - Page Not Found ''. www.scotcourts.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2018. Jump up ^ `` 404 - Page Not Found ''. www.scotcourts.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2018. Jump up ^ Court, The Supreme. `` Mark Ormerod to be Supreme Court 's Chief Executive - The Supreme Court ''. www.supremecourt.uk. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 02. Jump up ^ Court, The Supreme. `` Executive Team - The Supreme Court ''. www.supremecourt.uk. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 02. Jump up ^ UK Parliament. Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended ( see also enacted form ), from legislation.gov.uk. Jump up ^ `` Scottish Court Service : An Introduction '' ( PDF ). Scottish Court Service. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2008. The Supreme Courts are made up of the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary and the Accountant of Court 's Office Jump up ^ Section 33 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 Jump up ^ Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 Jump up ^ Pannick, David ( 26 March 2009 ). `` Seventy is far too early for a supreme court judge to retire ''. The Times. London. Jump up ^ Constitutional Reform Act 2005, section 24 Jump up ^ `` Justice of the UK Supreme Court ''. London, United Kingdom : 10 Downing Street. 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2009. Jump up ^ Frances Gibb ( 23 July 2009 ). `` Lord Neuberger named Master of the Rolls ''. The Times. London. Retrieved 30 August 2009. Jump up ^ Frances Gibb ( 23 March 2010 ). `` New Supreme Court justice -- Sir John Dyson ''. ^ Jump up to : `` No. 59746 ''. The London Gazette. 1 April 2011. pp. 6177 -- 6178. Jump up ^ `` Press release : Courtesy titles for Justices of the Supreme Court '' ( PDF ). Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2014. Jump up ^ `` Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers appointed as senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary ''. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Jump up ^ Rozenberg, Joshua ( 24 June 2010 ). `` Vacancy in the supreme court -- and age could be a deciding factor - Joshua Rozenburg ''. the Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2018. Jump up ^ `` Supreme Court judge dies aged 66 ''. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2018 -- via www.bbc.co.uk. Jump up ^ Constitutional Reform Act 2005, section 38 Jump up ^ `` Supreme Court -- new appointments process ''. Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2010. Jump up ^ Constitutional Reform Act 2005, sections 25 -- 31 Jump up ^ `` Courtesy titles for Justices of the Supreme Court '' ( PDF ). Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Truly the Supremes ? Reflections on the New Court, UKSC Blog ''. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Minutes of Oral Evidence Taken before the Constitutional Affairs Committee 17 April 2007 ''. Retrieved 23 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` The Queen on the application of Save Britain 's Heritage v. Westminster City Council ''. High Court ( Administrative Court ). Retrieved 23 May 2008. Jump up ^ Binney, Marcus ( 22 June 2006 ). `` Lord Falconer 's supreme blunder ''. The Times. London. Retrieved 26 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` Questions to the Department for Constitutional Affairs, 15 January 2007 ( Col. 877W ) ''. Commons Hansard. Jump up ^ `` The College of Arms Newsletter ''. College of Arms. December 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2009. Jump up ^ `` New artwork : Supreme Court emblem ''. The Supreme Court. Retrieved 29 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Supreme Court ''. The Supreme Court. Retrieved 16 May 2010. Jump up ^ https://www.supremecourt.uk/docs/sc001_0409x1.pdf Jump up ^ `` In pictures : UK Supreme Court ''. BBC News. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009. Jump up ^ `` Inside the UK Supreme Court ''. BBC News. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009. Jump up ^ `` THE WIDER VIEW : Inside the imposing interior of Britain 's new £ 36m Supreme Court ''. Daily Mail. London. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009. Further reading The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom : History, Art, Architecture Chris Miele ed. ( Merrell ) ISBN 978 - 1 - 85894 - 508 - 8 Le Sueur, ed. ( 18 March 2004 ), Building the UK 's New Supreme Court : National and Comparative Perspectives, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 926462 - 9, retrieved 16 May 2010 Morgan, Derek ( ed ). Constitutional Innovation : the creation of a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom ( A special issue of the Legal Studies, the Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars ). External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Supreme Court of the United Kingdom official website Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court site `` Grand designs ''. BBC News. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2007. 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Question: what is the role and function of the uk supreme court
Answer: court of last resort and the highest appellate court in the United Kingdom