Lords to investigate judicial diversity (Guardian)
Figures show 20% of judges in England and Wales are women and less than 5% from ethnic minority backgrounds The predominance of white men on court benches and calls for parliament to hold US-style confirmation hearings into the appointment of senior judges are to be investigated by peers. The House of Lords constitution committee has announced an inquiry into judicial diversity and whether the appointments process was "fair, independent, transparent and open". Two new judges, both white and male, were appointed to the supreme court this month and figures from the judicial diversity taskforce revealed a slow advance in the number of women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. The taskforce said there were 3,598 judges in England and Wales in 2010, of whom 20.6% were women and 4.8% from ethnic minority backgrounds. In 2000 there were 3,441 judges, 12.7% of them women and 2% from ethnic minority backgrounds. The selection of Lord Justice Wilson and Jonathan Sumption QC for the 12-member supreme court resulted in no change to its composition of 11 white men and one woman. No one from an ethnic minority background was said to have applied. Peers are concerned about how unrepresentative the judiciary ...Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.
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