This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
Law of England and Wales |
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There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales.[1] Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales, particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.
By statute, judges are guaranteed continuing judicial independence.[2]
There have been multiple calls from both Welsh academics and politicians however for a Wales criminal justice system.[3][4][5]
The following is a list of the various types of judges who sit in the Courts of England and Wales:[6]