# President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

The President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the highest-ranking judge in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It is equivalent to the now-defunct position of Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, also known as the Senior Law Lord, who was the highest ranking among the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the judges who exercised the judicial functions of the House of Lords). The current President is Robert Reed, since 13 January 2020.

## History

From 1900 to 1969, when the Lord Chancellor was not present, a former Lord Chancellor would preside at judicial sittings of the House of Lords. If no former Lord Chancellor was present, the most senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary present would preside, seniority being determined by rank in the peerage. In the years following World War II, it became less common for Lord Chancellors to have time to gain judicial experience in office, making it anomalous for former holders of the office to take precedence. As a result, on 22 May 1969, the rules were changed such that if the Lord Chancellor was not present (as was normally the case), the most senior Law Lord, by appointment as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary rather than peerage, would preside.
In 1984, the system was amended to provide that judges be appointed as Senior and Second Senior Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, rather than taking the roles by seniority. The purpose of the change was to allow an ailing Lord Diplock to step aside from presiding, yet remain a Law Lord.
On 1 October 2009, the judicial functions of the House of Lords were transferred to the new Supreme Court under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The Senior Law Lord, Nick Phillips, and the Second Senior Law Lord became, respectively, the President and the Deputy President of the new court. The same day, the Queen by warrant established a place for the President of the Supreme Court in the order of precedence, immediately after the Lord Speaker (the Speaker of the House of Lords).

## List of Senior Lords of Appeal in Ordinary

* The Lord Reid (1969–1975)
* The Lord Wilberforce (1975–1982)
* The Lord Diplock (1982–1984)
* The Lord Fraser of Tullybelton (1984–1985)
* The Lord Scarman (1985–1986)
* The Lord Keith of Kinkel (1986–1996)
* The Lord Goff of Chieveley (1996–1998)
* The Lord Browne-Wilkinson (1998–2000)
* The Lord Bingham of Cornhill (2000–2008)
* The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers (2008 – 30 September 2009)

## List of presidents of the Supreme Court

| # | Name | Born | Alma mater | Presidency started | Presidency ended | Duration | Prior senior judicial roles |
| 1 | Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers | 21 January 1938 (age 86) | King's College, Cambridge | 02009-10-01-031 October 2009 | 02009-10-01-0330 September 2012 | 3 years and 0 days | Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (2008–2009) Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2005–2008) Master of the Rolls (2000–2005) Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (1999–2000) |
| 2 | David Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury | 10 January 1948 (age 76) | Christ Church, Oxford | 02009-10-01-031 October 2012 | 02009-10-01-034 September 2017 | 4 years and 342 days | Master of the Rolls (2009–2012) Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (2007–2009) Lord Justice of Appeal (2004–2007) |
| 3 | Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond | 31 January 1945 (age 79) | Girton College, Cambridge | 02009-10-01-035 September 2017 | 10 January 2020 | 2 years and 128 days | Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2013–2017) Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–2013) Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (2004–2009) Lord Justice of Appeal (1999–2003) Justice of the High Court, Family Division (1994–1999) |
| 4 | Robert Reed, Baron Reed of Allermuir | 7 September 1956 (age 68) | University of Edinburgh Balliol College, Oxford | 13 January 2020 | Incumbent | 4 years and 311 days | Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2018–2020) Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2012–2018) Senator of the College of Justice (1998–2012) |