Lord Chief Justice

Lord Chief Justice
Lord Chief Justice	Vacant
Judge	Vacant
Organisation	HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Leads	The judiciary
Seat	102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ

The Lord Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and the most senior judge of HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The Lord Chief Justice leads the judges, decides how cases are shared out, and speaks for the judiciary in public and to Parliament.

Judges

The Lord Chief Justice and the other judges hear the cases brought in UKOGB's courts. Members bring civil claims, for example against a company or a public body, and the Crown Prosecution Service brings criminal prosecutions. A judge weighs the evidence and arguments from each side and gives a judgment, which may award damages and costs, order a fine, or pass a sentence of imprisonment.

Case law

Every judgment is published with a neutral citation in the form [2012] UKOGB Civ 1: the year, the court and the number of the case. Together the judgments make up the case law library, which later courts follow so that like cases are decided alike. The Don Valley Pensions case is one of the best known.

Independence

The judiciary is independent of the government. The Lord Chancellor is sworn to defend that independence, and ministers may not tell a judge how to decide a case.