The UK Supreme Court will sit outside of one of the nation’s capitals for the first time ever in March 2023.
On October 24, Lord Robert Reed, President of the UK Supreme Court, announced he was “delighted” to sit in Manchester Civil Justice Centre for three hearings between March 6 and 9.
All cases will be available for the public to view in person or online, making the Supreme Court one of the most accessible in the world.
This is part of the Court’s efforts to provide “accessible justice” – a term coined by North West circuit judge His Honour Judge Bird in an interview with the BBC.
The Supreme Court has sat in Edinburgh, Belfast, and Cardiff in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively.
The move out of their current home in Middlesex Guildhall shows the efforts to make the justice system more open and transparent for those across the UK.
Lord Reed stated that viewing hearings “should not be limited to those able to get to London” and emphasises the importance of the final court of appeal’s appearance in the North West.
Giles Maynard Connors, Head of Business and Property Department at The Exchange Chambers calls this a “recognition of the strength of the city as a legal centre” and Manchester’s up-and-coming position in UK politics.
Lord Reed and four other Supreme Court justices will sit for the hearings, with the names of other justices being announced in “due course” according to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
Furthermore, the details of the three cases will be released nearer to the time, however being the highest court of appeal the cases will bear legal importance and most likely set a crucial precedence for future cases.
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