Brenda Hale, the first female president of the supreme court, and Sir Ian Burnett, the youngest lord chief justice for 50 years, have been sworn in at the opening of the legal year.

In a series of ceremonies, the new heads of the judiciary in the UK and in England and Wales assumed office with recorded video broadcasts intended to demonstrate their commitment to improving the transparency of the courts.

Lady Hale’s confirmation was held in the supreme court, in Westminster, where she welcomed the appointment of a second female justice, Jill Black, to the 12-strong bench.

The first woman appointed to be a law lord, in 2004, Hale had to wait until this week for a second woman to join her on the UK’s highest court.

“It’s a particular pleasure for me,” Hale declared, “to welcome at long last another woman member the court. I hope it won’t take another 13 years before we have a third, fourth and fifth member of this court.”

Hale, 72, who was born in Yorkshire and succeeds David Neuberger, has been a consistent champion of judicial diversity. She has had a more varied career than most judges having previously been an academic and legal reformer on the Law Commission.

During her time as deputy president, Hale has ruled on numerous prominent cases including the Brexit article 50 claim, where she sided with the majority in ruling that parliament must authorise the UK’s departure from the EU.



Receiving the red box containing the letters patent confirming her appointment, Hale, the shortest figure on the bench, made play of its weight or, perhaps, its burden of responsibility.

After she was sworn in, Jonathan Mance was confirmed as the new deputy president of the supreme court. They were followed by the three new members of the court: Black, David Lloyd Jones and Michael Briggs.

Lord Lloyd-Jones read out his judicial oath and oath of allegiance to the Queen in both English and Welsh. While the supreme court has two Scottish judges and one from Northern Ireland, there is no requirement for a judge from Wales – a shortfall regularly deplored by the Welsh assembly.

In a separate ceremony earlier at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Sir Ian Burnett was sworn in as lord chief justice. The former court of appeal judge, 59, takes over as head of the judiciary of England and Wales from John Thomas, who held the position from 2013 and retired on 1 October.

Burnett, who lives in Essex with his wife and children, has been involved in many high-profile cases and inquiries during his career, including acting as counsel to the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.

His new responsibilities include representing the views of the judiciary to parliament and the government.

Speaking at the ceremony, he said: “At times of great change, the central role of the judiciary upholding the rule of law remains a constant, as do our impartiality and independence.

The new lord chief justice, Sir Ian Burnett, at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London before his swearing-in ceremony. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

“These features are embedded in the oath I have taken. They are fundamental to our justice system and underpin the effective and smooth functioning of our society.

“I believe we should be better at explaining our role and the vital importance of our independence and impartiality. These principles have remained a constant through the generations, but the judiciary does not stand still.

“We have embarked upon the most ambitious programme of reform of our courts and tribunals in our history. This would not have been possible without the tireless and visionary leadership of my predecessor Lord Thomas, or the support of the government, who have committed to invest £1bn to make it happen. I will continue to pursue this bold vision.”

He also recorded a video version of the message in which he appears informally, jacketless but wearing a tie.



Welcoming Burnett, Sir Terence Etherton, the master of the rolls, said he was formerly known to many present as “Ian from Essex”.

“I will say no more in this address about his connections with that beautiful county because, with great restraint, I have made a personal vow to say nothing about The Only Way is Essex,” he said.

Acknowledging Burnett’s reputation for “calmness, balance, good sense and humour”, he described him as a “relatively youthful and certainly a very energetic and active LCJ”, whose latest accessory was a Fitbit.

He was “certainly not a typical conventional establishment figure”, Etherton said.

“It appears that the only club of which our new LCJ is or has been a member is the Pizza Express club.

“He tells me that when he included it in his Who’s Who return, they replied that it was not the type of club they had in mind.”

After both swearing in ceremonies, Hale and Burnett joined the rest of the senior judiciary at a service in Westminster Abbey to mark the opening of the new legal year. The National Secular Society has called for the service to be scrapped because it undermines the impartiality of judges.