Reshuffle on UK’s top bench follows Hale exit
Lord Hodge has been appointed deputy president of the Supreme Court, it was confirmed this afternoon .
Hodge’s promotion comes just days after fellow Scot, Lord Reed, officially took up his new role as president of the UK’s highest bench following the retirement of Lady Hale earlier this month.
Having sat as judge north of the border, both in the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary, Hodge was elevated to the justice of the Supreme Court role in October 2013. The Cambridge-educated former barrister, who succeeds Reed as deputy president, will be sworn in at a special ceremony on a date to be confirmed.
Following his appointment today, Hodge said:
“It has been a great privilege to have served on the Supreme Court since 2013 and it is a great privilege to have been chosen to follow Lord Reed as deputy president of the court. I feel honoured to have this opportunity and look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues from each of the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom in upholding the rule of law.”
The Supreme Court said Hodge’s new role will see him work closely with Reed, overseeing the “judicial work of the court” and “liaising closely with the chief executive who manages the court’s administration”.
The 66-year-old will also shoulder a wider leadership and ambassadorial role with the president, “undertaking a range of engagements to promote understanding of the role of the judiciary and senior appellate courts in the UK and to foster international links”.
Congratulating Hodge, Reed said:
“I am delighted to congratulate and welcome Lord Hodge, on his appointment as deputy president of the court. He has made an important contribution to the work of the court since his appointment in 2013, and his previous experience of judicial administration will stand him in good stead as our deputy president. I am looking forward very much to working with him in his new role.”
In 2018, Hodge spoke of his “naivety” at attending a gala dinner held by the Federalist Society, the right-wing pressure group credited with helping President Trump select his US Supreme Court judges. In a speech at the time, the top judge said he accepted an invite to the bash in “innocence” without seeming to have realised the nature of the organisation.