What was the position of Robert Reed, Baron Reed of Allermuir from 2020 to 2021?
Robert Reed , Baron Reed of Allermuir Robert John Reed , Baron Reed of Allermuir , ( born 7 September 1956 ) is a Scottish judge who has been President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom since January 2020 . He was the principal judge in the Commercial Court in Scotland before being promoted to the Inner House of the Court of Session in 2008 . He is an authority on human rights law in Scotland and elsewhere ; he served as one of the UKs ad hoc judges at the European Court of Human Rights . He is also a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong . Early life . Reed was educated at George Watsons College in Edinburgh ( where he was dux ) , and studied at the School of Law of the University of Edinburgh , taking a first class honours LLB and winning a Vans Dunlop Scholarship . He then took a DPhil at Balliol College , Oxford , with a doctoral thesis on Legal Control of Government Assistance to Industry , and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1983 . Legal career . Reed was Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Education Department from 1988 to 1989 , and to the Scottish Office Home and Health Department from 1989 to 1995 . He was appointed Queens Counsel in 1995 , and Advocate Depute in 1996 . He was appointed a Senator of the College of Justice , a judge of the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary , the countrys College of Justice , in 1998 , with the judicial title , Lord Reed . He sat initially as a Judge of the Outer House , becoming Principal Commercial Judge in 2006 . He has been one of the United Kingdoms ad hoc judges at the European Court of Human Rights , and sat in the Grand Chamber judgements on the appeals of the killers of James Bulger in 1999 . Between 2002 and 2004 , he was an expert advisor to the EU/Council of Europe Joint Initiative with Turkey . He was promoted to the Inner House ( First Division ) in 2008 , and appointed to the Privy Council . He sat on the UK Supreme Court during the illness of Lord Rodger of Earlsferry , along with Lord Clarke , and succeeded Lord Rodger . He has been Chairman of the Franco-British Judicial Co-operation Committee since 2005 , and was President of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment from 2006–08 , now serving as Vice-President . He was a member of the Advisory Board of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law from 2001 to 06 , and of the UN Task Force on Access to Justice since 2006 . He is Convener of the charity Children in Scotland ( since 2006 ) and Chairman of the University of Edinburgh Centre for Commercial Law ( since 2008 ) . He has been an Honorary Professor of Law at Glasgow Caledonian University since 2005 , and the School of Law of the University of Glasgow since 2006 . On 20 December 2011 , it was announced that Reed would replace the late Lord Rodger of Earlsferry as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom . He was sworn in on 6 February 2012 . Lord Reed was Convener of the Children in Scotland Board from February 2006-March 2012 . On 31 May 2017 , he assumed office as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong . Reed was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in May 2018 , succeeding Lord Mance on his retirement . He was sworn into the new position on 6 June 2018 . On 25 January 2019 he was made an Honorary Fellow of The Academy of Experts in recognition of his contribution and work for Expert Witnesses . On 24 July 2019 , the Queen declared her intention to appoint him President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and to raise him to the peerage . He succeeded Baroness Hale of Richmond as President on 11 January 2020 on her retirement and on the same day was created Baron Reed of Allermuir , of Sundridge Park in the London Borough of Bromley . He was sworn in as president on 13 January and introduced to the House of Lords on 16 January . Notable judgments . Lord Reeds judgments are characterised by an in-depth analysis of the common law . He has handed down judgements on various important topics of the law : - AXA General Insurance Ltd v Lord Advocate [ 2011 ] UKSC 46 : On the limits on the Scottish Parliament’s powers - Osborn v The Parole Board [ 2013 ] UKSC 61 , [ 2013 ] 3 WLR 1020 : On common law duty of procedural fairness - Bank Mellat v Her Majesty’s Treasury ( No . 2 ) [ 2013 ] UKSC 39 , [ 2014 ] 1 AC 700 ( Dissenting ) - AIB Group ( UK ) plc v Mark Redler & Co Solicitors [ 2014 ] UKSC 58 , [ 2014 ] 3 WLR 1367 : On the causation requirement for a breach of trust - R ( Bourgass ) v Secretary of State for Justice [ 2015 ] UKSC 54 , [ 2016 ] AC 384 - Hesham Ali ( Iraq ) v Home Secretary [ 2016 ] UKSC 60 , [ 2016 ] 1 WLR 4799 - R ( Miller ) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [ 2017 ] UKSC 5 , [ 2018 ] AC 61 ( Dissenting ) : Lord Reed wrote the leading dissenting judgment in the Article 50 litigation , holding that the Government could initiate the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union without reference to Parliament - Investment Trust Companies v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [ 2017 ] UKSC 29 ; [ 2018 ] AC 275 - R ( UNISON ) v Lord Chancellor [ 2017 ] UKSC 51 , [ 2017 ] 3 WLR 409 : Declaring employment tribunal fees set by Lord Chancellor unlawful - Robinson v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [ 2018 ] UKSC 4 , [ 2018 ] AC 736 : the duty of care owed by police officers under the common law - Morris-Garner & Anor v One Step ( Support ) Ltd [ 2018 ] UKSC 20 , [ 2019 ] AC 649 : On the availability of negotiating damages for breach of contract - Jonathan Lu & Others v Paul Chan Mo-Po & Another [ 2018 ] HKCFA 11 , ( 2018 ) 21 HKCFAR 94 : On the concept of malice in the common law of defamation in the context of qualified privilege - R ( Miller ) v Prime Minister [ 2019 ] UKSC 41 , [ 2020 ] AC 373 : Declaring the prorogation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as unlawful ( joint judgment with Lady Hale ) - WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [ 2020 ] UKSC 12 , [ 2020 ] 2 WLR 941 : On vicarious liability - Sevilleja v Marex Financial Ltd [ 2020 ] UKSC 31 , [ 2021 ] AC 39 : on the rule against reflective loss - R ( Begum ) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission & Anor [ 2021 ] UKSC 7 , [ 2021 ] 2 WLR 556 : On whether Shamima Begum should be returned to the United Kingdom to challenge the Home Secretarys decision to deprive her nationality Honours and awards . In 2015 Reed was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . Lord Reed is High Steward of the University of Oxford and succeeded Lord Rodger as Visitor of Balliol College , Oxford . Personal life . He married Jane Mylne , Lady Reed in 1988 , with whom he has two daughters .