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The Fall of the House of Lords

By Robert J. Ambrogi

In Britain last week, an unusual 600-year-long tradition came to an end as the House of Lords decided its final case. True to form, it went out not with a whimper, but with a bang. The House of Lords has served as the United Kingdom's supreme court of appeal, its highest court, since 1399. It has been an unusual role for the House of Lords, given that it is part of Parliament and a legislative body. For the last 100 years, this judicial function has been performed by 12 law lords (pictured), roughly the equivalent of Supreme Court justices in the United States. Starting in October, the U.K. will have a new Supreme Court separate from the House of Lords, the result of the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. The act also reforms the office of Lord Chancellor, removing his ability to act as both government minister and judge and transferring his judicial functions to the Lord Chief Justice. On Thursday, the Law Lords delivered their final ruling and it was, by all accounts, historic, not just for what it represented, but for what it decided. The ruling will force British prosecutors to clarify the circumstances under which they will...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on August 04, 2009 (boomark / email).