Welcome
A message from Lord Neuberger, President of The Supreme Court
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the UK Supreme Court’s website.
On this website you can find information about our forthcoming hearings, previous decisions, biographies of the Justices, latest news and much more besides.
I was sworn in as President of the Supreme Court on 1 October 2012, taking over from Lord Phillips who retired at the end of September. It is a real honour but also a great responsibility.
Like its predecessor, the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, the Supreme Court is rightly respected throughout the world for the quality of its judgments. As you are probably aware, when we make a decision, the principle of judicial precedent means that other courts across the UK should “follow” our decision, that is, they should give their judgments in line with what we have decided.
The cases that reach here are those that involve arguable points of law of general public or constitutional importance, as well as questions about the extent of devolved legislative powers (you can find out more about the role of The Supreme Court).
We have a duty to work diligently to apply and develop the law in a coherent, principled and practical way. Our decisions should encourage certainty in the law for other judges, legal practitioners and the public alike. They should also promote not only the rule of law itself, but confidence in the rule of law, which helps sustain a stable, safe and prosperous society.
Through this website, you get a chance to watch us undertaking this important work. By clicking on the ‘Supreme Court Live’ link, you can access live streaming of the court (when it is sitting).
But nothing beats visiting us in person. I hope that you will soon get the chance to sit and observe a hearing, or take in a brief tour of our magnificient building (or both), so that you can see for yourself how the cases decided here help to protect and serve society – not just in the UK, but across the wider Commonwealth and other common law jurisdictions too.
Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury
President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom