Supreme Court begins search for two justices and new president

The Supreme Court has begun the selection process for two justices and a new president, ahead of Lord Neuberger's retirement in September.

Advertisements were published this week (16 February), seeking applications for the vacancies created by the retirement of Lord Toulson last summer, and the forthcoming retirements of Lord Clarke and Lord Neuberger.

The process will be overseen by two independent commissions - one for the new justices, one for the role of president. These commissions have been convened by the Lord Chancellor.

The Supreme Court said that in order to "encourage the broadest range of applications and achieve the most efficient process for all involved", the vacancy created by Lord Toulson’s retirement was not filled immediately and instead two candidates would be appointed from the forthcoming selection round.

A third justice is to be appointed from the same pool of candidates, if Lord Neuberger’s successor as president is appointed from within the Supreme Court.

The statutory minimum qualification for all appointments advertised is to have held high judicial office for a period of at least two years, to have satisfied the judicial appointment eligibility condition on a 15-year basis or to have been a qualifying practitioner for at least 15 years.

In November 2016 Lord Neuberger unveiled plans to encourage a diverse range of eligible candidates to apply. At the moment, only one judge, Lady Hale, is female. Among the initiatives were 'insight sessions' and the opportunity to work part-time.

Applications close on 10 March,  with the new post-holders expected to take up office at the beginning of the new legal year in October 2017.