Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Law and justice statue

The composition of the judiciary is a long standing problem that can only be addressed by pro-active means. Do you agree?

September 25, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

Is the composition of the Jury representative of British society? If not, would it be fair to state that this problem needs to be actively addressed?

Question

The composition of the judiciary is a long standing problem that can only be addressed by pro-active means. Do you agree?

Answer

Judicial diversity has long been acknowledged as a problem in the legal system of England and Wales. Back in 1992, Lord Chief Justice Taylor stated that “[t]he present imbalance between male and female, white and black, in the judiciary is obvious.”(1) Fast forward to the present day and little appears to have changed. As of 2016, just 28% of judges in England and Wales were women, with 5% identifying as coming from ethnic minority groups.(2) This compares to just over 50% of the population who are female, and 11% of people come from ethnic minority backgrounds.(3)

These disappointing figures mask some very real progress that the profession has made in recent years to make the judiciary more inclusive. The Judicial Appointments Commission – set up to ensure that judicial appointments are made via an “open and fair competition”(4) – has produced some spectacular results. At present, over 50% of court judges under 40 are female, with 8% being from ethnic minority backgrounds.(5)

The discrepancy between judicial recruitment, which appears to be close to replicating the demographic composition of British society, and the overall diversity figures of the judiciary highlight a need for proactive action. The higher echelons of the profession are still the almost exclusive preserve of white men.(6) Proactive measures need to be taken, otherwise we will be waiting at least two generations for a truly reflective judiciary. The credibility of the judiciary requires it to be representative, and measures need to be taken now to ensure that this happens.

References

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Is norminal GDP of a country like Nigeria dependent on unemployment and inflation?

Next Post:

Is Politics a Science?

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT