Wikipedia

King's Bench Division

This article is about the division of the British High Court of Justice. For other uses, seeKing's Bench.

TheKing's Bench Division(orQueen's Bench Divisionwhen themonarchis female) of theHigh Court of Justicedeals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts.

King's Bench Division
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
Established1 November 1875
JurisdictionEngland and Wales
LocationRolls Building,City of London,London
Appeals toCourt of Appeal(civil matters)
Supreme Court(criminal matter)
Appeals fromCrown Court
Magistrates' courts
President
CurrentlyVictoria Sharp
Since23 June 2019
Vice-President
CurrentlyJames Dingemans
Since5 February 2020
Senior Master andKing's Remembrancer
CurrentlyJeremy Cook
Since18 September 2023[1]

It hears appeals on points of law frommagistrates' courts[a]and from theCrown Court.[b]These are known as appeals by way ofcase stated,since the questions of law are considered solely on the basis of the facts found and stated by the authority under review.

Specialised courts of the King's Bench Division include the Administrative Court, Technology and Construction Court, Commercial Court, and the Admiralty Court. The specialised judges and procedures of these courts are tailored to their type of business, but they are not essentially different from any other court of the King's Bench Division.

Appeals from the High Court in civil matters are made to theCourt of Appeal(Civil Division); in criminal matters appeal from the Divisional Court is made only to theSupreme Court of the United Kingdom.

History

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Further information:Court of King's Bench (England)
Westminster Hall,meeting place of theCourt of King's Bench (England)from 1215 until the King's Bench was abolished in England in 1875

In England and Wales, the Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench) was the name of two courts. Each was a senior court ofcommon law,with civil and criminal jurisdiction, and a specific jurisdiction to restrain unlawful actions by public authorities.

The Court of King's Bench grew out of the King's Court, orCuria Regis,which, both in character and the essence of its jurisdiction, dates back to the reign of KingAlfred.At first, it was not specifically a court of law, but was the centre of royal power and national administration in England, consisting of the King, together with his advisors, courtiers, and administrators. At an unknown point, another court, independent of the King's personal presence, grew out of theCuria Regis,and consisted of a number of royal judges who would hear cases themselves.

It was recorded in the chronicle ofAbbot Benedict of Peterboroughthat, in 1178,Henry IIordered that five judges of his household should remain inCuria Regis,referring only difficult cases to himself. The situation seemed, thereafter, to be that a central royal court, calledThe Bench,began to sit regularly atWestminster,leading, at some stage, to a separation between the hearing of matters relevant to the King and those that had no royal connection, which came to be known ascommon pleas.

In 1215,Magna Cartaprovided that there should be a court – theCommon Bench(later Court of Common Pleas), which met in a fixed place – and, by 1234, two distinct series of plea rolls existed:de banco– those from the Common Bench – andcoram rege(Latin for "in the presence of the King" ) – for those from the King's Bench. The King's Bench, being a theoretically movable court, was excluded from hearing common pleas, which included allpraecipeactions for the recovery of property or debt. Actions oftrespassandreplevinwere shared between the two benches. In practice pleas of the Crown were heard only in the King's Bench.

The King's Bench was divided into two parts: the Crown side, which had an unlimited criminal jurisdiction, both at first instance or as a court to which legal questions arising out of indictments in other courts could be referred; and the plea side, which dealt with actions of trespass, appeals of felony, and writs of error. TheLord Chief Justiceof the King's Bench was styled the Lord Chief Justice of England, being the highest permanent judge ofthe Crown.

The King's Bench became a fixed court sitting inWestminster Hall.Its justices travelled on circuit, a requirement of Magna Carta. By a legal fiction, criminal cases to be heard in the shires were set down for trial in Westminster Hall "unless before" (nisi prius) the justice came to the county, which was where the trial actually took place.

During theCommonwealth of England,from 1649 to 1660, the court was known as theUpper Bench.[2]

The English Court of King's Bench was abolished in 1875 by theSupreme Court of Judicature Act 1873.The Court's jurisdiction passed in each case to a new High Court of Justice and specifically to the King's Bench Division of that court.

The court gave its name to London'sKing's Bench Prison,in which many defendants were subsequently incarcerated, and to King's Bench Walk in theInner Temple.

  • An illuminated initial membrane, with portrait ofElizabeth I,Court of King's Bench: Coram Rege Roll (Easter Term, 1584)

Subdivisions

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Administrative Court

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The Administrative Court deals mainly withadministrative lawmatters and exercises the High Court's supervisory jurisdiction over inferior courts and tribunals and other public bodies.[3]It is generally the appropriate legal forum where the validity, but, at least in principle, not the merits of official decisions may be challenged. Generally, unless specific appeal processes are provided, the validity of any decision of aminister of the crown,inferior court, tribunal, local authority or other official body may be challenged by a judge with sufficient interest through the exercise ofjudicial review.A single judge first decides whether the matter is fit to bring to the Court, to filter out frivolous or unarguable cases, and if so, the matter is allowed to go forward to a full judicial review hearing with one or more judges.

The Administrative Court may sit with a single judge or as adivisional court(i.e. with two or more judges). A divisional court of the Administrative Court usually consists of aLord Justice of Appealsitting with ajudge of the High Court.Although the Administrative Court is within the King's Bench Division (reflecting the historical role of theCourt of King's Benchin exercising judicial review), judges from theChancery Divisionand theFamily Divisionof the High Court are also assigned to sit.

Commercial Court

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The Commercial Court is a majorcivil courtinEngland and Walesthat specialises on adjudicating domestic and international business disputes, with a particular emphasis oninternational trade,banking,insurance,andcommodities.[4][5]

History

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The Commercial Court was set up in 1895 following demands from theCity of Londonand the business community for a tribunal or court staffed by judges with knowledge and experience of commercial disputes which could determine such disputes expeditiously and economically, thereby avoiding tediously long and expensive trials with verdicts given by judges or juries unfamiliar with business practices.

The commercial list was originally heard by two judges of the King's Bench Division with the appropriate knowledge and experience. As the work of the Court has expanded, eight judges now sit in the Court.[6]

Function

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The current work of the Commercial Court entails all aspects of commercial disputes, in the fields of banking and finance, disputes over contracts and business documents,import,exportandtransport,agency and management agreements,shipping,insurance and reinsurance, and commodities. The court is also the principal supervisory court forLondonarbitration,dealing with the granting of freezing and other relief in aid of arbitration, challenges to arbitration awards, and enforcement of awards. The Mercantile Court also can hear most of these cases.[7]

It is also a major centre for international disputes. Over 70% of the court's workload involves foreign parties where the only connection with the jurisdiction is the choice ofEnglish and Welsh lawin a contract.[8]

Judges

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Eight specialist judges sit in the Court at any one time. They are drawn from a list of those authorised due to their specialist knowledge and expertise.[6]The current Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court is DameSara Cockerill.[9]

Financial List

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From October 2015, the Commercial Court and theChancery Divisionhave maintained the Financial List for cases which would benefit from being heard by judges with suitable expertise and experience in the financial markets or which raise issues of general importance to the financial markets. The procedure was introduced to enable fast, efficient and high quality dispute resolution of claims related to the financial markets.[10]

Technology and Construction Court

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TheCivil Procedure Rules,which regulatecivil procedurein the High Court, allocate non-exhaustive categories of work to the Technology and Construction Court (TCC), principally, as the name suggests, disputes in the areas of construction and technology.[11]

However, since its formation in its current guise in October 1998, the court's jurisdiction has expanded such that many civil claims which are factually or technically complex are now heard in the TCC, beyond its traditional case load. For example, large-scale grouppersonal injuryclaims are heard by the court, as are disputes arising out of theEU'spublic procurement regime.

The court's reputation has steadily grown over the years, such that it is now regarded as a highly capable and knowledgeable court. Its case load has dramatically increased since 1998, both in the form of traditionallitigationand through assisted methods ofalternative dispute resolution.In 2011, the court moved its central location from its aged buildings inFetter Laneto the newly constructed £200mRolls Building.[12][13]

History

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The court was known until 9 October 1998 as the Official Referees' Court, a name which reflected its old status as atribunalwith no jurisdiction per se, but which could report to judges on its findings.[14]The new court, which was founded under the leadership ofMr Justice Dyson(later theMaster of the Rolls), aimed to rid the perception this created that the court was not equal to others in the King's Bench Division. When opening the new court, Dyson said the new changes were "of real significance", and included technological advancements to aid the court's running, such as a centralised listing system.[14]

With the introduction of the newCivil Procedure Ruleson 26 April 1999 followingLord Woolf'sreport, the TCC's caseload dropped slightly as a result of the new Rules' focus onalternative dispute resolution.This meant fewer claims were issued: previously, claims had been issued as a matter of course as part of the negotiation process.[15]

The proliferation ofadjudicationfollowing its introduction in theConstruction Act 1996also led to fewer disputes going before the court, but did give the court a new role in enforcing adjudication decisions. The Construction Act gives parties to a "construction contract" a right to refer matters to adjudicators, with the aim of aiding cash flow in the construction sector by allowing disputes to be settled without the need for lengthy and costly court proceedings.[16]Changes to the Construction Act 1996 brought in by theLocal Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009are likely to see even more disputes referred to adjudication before reaching the TCC.[17]

TheArbitration Act 1996had a similar effect as adjudication. Such was the effect on the number of cases being brought before the TCC, extra capacity meant that TCC judges could act as judge-arbitrators, utilising their experience and knowledge while contributing to the CPR's goals in reducing litigation costs.[15]

Jurisdiction

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The TCC deals primarily with litigation of disputes arising in the field of technology and construction. It includes building, engineering and technology disputes,professional negligenceclaims and IT disputes as well as enforcement of adjudication decisions and challenges to arbitrators’ decisions. The TCC also regularly deals with allegations of lawyers’ negligence arising in connection with planning, property, construction and other technical disputes.[18]

The work of the TCC often involves both complex legal argument and heavyweight technical issues, and as a result TCC judges try some of the most arduous and complex disputes that come before the civil courts. The sums at issue can be large, often involving millions of pounds, although there is in theory at least no minimum sum to be claimed (as, under the CPR, the court has wide powers to assert jurisdiction over claims it feels are appropriate). Cases can last several days and involve mountains of paperwork and expert evidence.[19]

Court locations

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TCC cases are managed and heard by specialist judges in London and at centres throughoutEngland and Wales.The cases are allocated either to High Court judges, senior circuit judges,circuit judgesor recorders both in London and at regional centres outside London. Since its inception, the court has been led by several judges-in-charge, a role filled by a number of pre-eminent judges in the field of construction law:Lord Dyson,SirJohn Thayne Forbes,Sir Rupert Jackson,SirVivian Ramsey,Mr Justice Akenhead(2010 to 2013), SirAntony Edwards-Stuart(2013 to 2016), SirPeter Coulson(2016 to 2018),Sir Peter Fraser(2018 to 2020) andDame Finola O'Farrell(2020 to present).[20]As at 2019, the court has seven full-time High Court judges.[21]

In April 2011, the court moved its central location from its aged building inFetter Laneto a purpose-built building on Fetter Lane, theRolls Building,not far from theRoyal Courts of JusticeinLondon.The court shares the building with other divisional courts of the King's Bench and Chancery Divisions. As well as its London location, where most cases (including those with an international element) are heard after being started or transferred there, claims can be issued and heard at any of the following regional court centres:

  • Birmingham (full-time TCC judge available)
  • Bristol
  • Cardiff
  • Chester
  • Exeter
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool (full-time TCC judge available)
  • Manchester (full-time TCC judge available)
  • Newcastle
  • Nottingham

TCC authorised judges are also available at Leicester, Sheffield and Southampton, although claims cannot be issued there.[22]

Admiralty Court

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England's admiralty courts date to at least the 1360s, during the reign ofEdward III.At that time there were three such courts, appointed by admirals responsible for waters to the north, south and west of England. In 1483 these local courts were amalgamated into a single High Court of Admiralty, administered by theLord High Admiralof England.[23]The Lord High Admiral directly appointed judges to the court, and could remove them at will. This was amended from 1673, with appointments falling within the purview of the Crown,[24][c]and from 1689 judges also received an annual stipend and a degree of tenure, holding their positions subject to effective delivery of their duties rather than at the Lord High Admiral's pleasure.[24]

From its inception in 1483 until 1657 the court sat in a disused church inSouthwark,and from then until 1665 in Montjoy House, private premises leased from the Dean ofSt Paul's Cathedral.In order to escape theGreat Plague of Londonin 1665, the court was briefly relocated toWinchesterand then toJesus CollegeatOxford University.The plague threat having subsided by 1666, the court returned to London and until 1671 was located atExeter HouseonThe Strandbefore returning to Montjoy House near St Paul's.[26]

During the period after theFrench and Indian War,admiralty courts became an issue that was a part of the rising tension between theBritish Parliamentand theirAmerican Colonies.Starting with theProclamation of 1763,these courts were given jurisdiction over a number of laws affecting the colonies. The jurisdiction was expanded in later acts of the Parliament, such as theStamp Act of 1765.

The colonists' objections were based on several factors. The courts could try a case anywhere in the British Empire. Cases involving New York or Boston merchants were frequently heard in Nova Scotia and sometimes even in England. The fact that judges were paid based in part on the fines that they levied and naval officers were paid for bringing "successful" cases led to abuses. There was no trial by jury, and evidence standards were lower than in criminal courts, the latter requiring proof "beyond reasonable doubt". The government's objective was to improve the effectiveness of revenue and excise tax laws. In many past instances, smugglers would avoid taxes. Even when they were caught and brought to trial, local judges frequently acquitted the popular local merchants whom they perceived as being unfairly accused by an unpopular tax collector.

In 1875, the High Court of Admiralty governing England and Wales was absorbed into the newProbate, Divorce and Admiralty (or PDA) Divisionof the High Court. When the PDA Division was in turn abolished and replaced by the Family Division, the "probate" and "admiralty" jurisdictions were transferred to, respectively, theChancery Divisionand to the new "Admiralty Court", a subset of the King's Bench Division of the High Court. Strictly speaking, there was no longer an "Admiralty Court" as such, but the admiralty jurisdiction allocated by theSenior Courts Act 1981was (and is) exercised by the Admiralty Judge and other Commercial Court judges authorized to sit in admiralty cases. When these judges sat, it became convenient to call the sitting the "Admiralty Court".

InEngland and Walestoday, admiralty jurisdiction is exercised by the High Court of Justice in England (EWHC).Admiralty lawapplied in this court is based upon thecivil law-basedLaw of the Sea,[citation needed]withstatutory lawandcommon lawadditions. The Admiralty Court is no longer in theRoyal Courts of Justicein theStrand,having moved to theRolls Building.

Leadership

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President

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Until 2005, the head of the Division was theLord Chief Justice.The post of president of the King's Bench Division was created by theConstitutional Reform Act 2005,leaving the Lord Chief Justice as president of theCourts of England and Wales,head of the Judiciary of England and Wales and head ofCriminal Justice.[27]SirIgor Judgewas the first person to hold the office, appointed in October 2005.[27][28]

List of presidents

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Vice-President

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The office of Vice-President of the King's Bench Division predates the separation of the division's presidency from the office of Lord Chief Justice. In 1988, the Lord Chief Justice,Lord Lane,made arrangements for SirTasker Watkins,aLord Justice of Appeal,to be Deputy Chief Justice, deputising across the range of Lane's responsibilities. The arrangement continued under Lane's successor. When Watkins retired in 1993,Lord Taylor of Gosforthappointed SirPaul Kennedyof theCourt of Appealto oversee the Queen's Bench Division.[34][35]

Lord Bingham of Cornhill,who took over as Lord Chief Justice in 1996, made arrangements withLord Mackay of Clashfern(Lord ChancellorunderJohn Major) whereby Lord Justice Kennedy would become Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division, with the understanding that it would be made a statutory office at an early date. Lord Bingham made the appointment in 1997. Lord Mackay's Labour successor,Lord Irvine of Lairg,honoured the commitment in the Access to Justice Act 1999.[34][35]

List of vice-presidents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"https:// judiciary.uk/appointments-and-retirements/senior-master-of-the-kings-bench-division-cook/".Court and Tribunals Judiciary.24 August 2023.Retrieved1 November2023.{{cite web}}:External link in|title=(help)
  2. ^'House of Commons Journal Volume 6: 10 February 1649'Journal of the House of Commons: volume 6: 1648–1651 (1802), pp. 136–38. Accessed 26 April 2007.
  3. ^"Administrative Court".GOV.UK.Retrieved29 November2022.
  4. ^[1]History of the Commercial Court. Judiciary.gov.uk
  5. ^"Admiralty and Commercial Court - Find a Court or Tribunal - GOV.UK".find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk.Retrieved30 November2022.
  6. ^ab"About Us".judiciary.gov.uk.Retrieved31 January2017.
  7. ^"Commercial Court".
  8. ^"City UK Legal Services Report 2016"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 29 September 2017.
  9. ^"Judges & clerks".
  10. ^AuthorisedGuide to the Financial List,1 October 2015
  11. ^Davis, Michael E. (2006).The Technology and Construction Court: practice and procedure.Robert Akenhead. Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-928004-9.OCLC69331809.
  12. ^"The Changing Face of Dispute Resolution".einsidetrack. December 2010.Retrieved30 January2011.
  13. ^"A royal opening for the Rolls Building".
  14. ^ab"Official Referee's Court is now TCC".The Times.13 October 1998.Retrieved30 January2011.
  15. ^ab"Acceptance of adjudication helps big cut in construction's litigation workload".International Construction Review. 5 April 2006.Retrieved30 January2011.
  16. ^"Arbitration is learning from adjudication".Atkinson Law. 14 August 2004.Retrieved30 January2011.
  17. ^"Adjudication: caught in the Act?".The In-House Lawyer. 9 July 2010.Retrieved30 January2011.
  18. ^"The Technology and Construction Court Guide"(PDF).Second Edition, Second Revision. October 2010.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  19. ^Linklaters Business Services v. Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd and ors(Technology and Construction Court 3 November 2010),Text.
  20. ^"New Judge in Charge of the Technology and Construction Court".judiciary.uk.2 March 2020.
  21. ^https://tecbar.org/the-tcc/[dead link‍]
  22. ^"The Technology and Construction Court".Retrieved30 January2011.
  23. ^Senior, W. (1924). "The Mace of the Admiralty Court".The Mariner's Mirror.10(1): 52.doi:10.1080/00253359.1924.10655256.
  24. ^abSainty 1975, p95
  25. ^Sainty 1975, pp. 95, 131
  26. ^Wiswall 1970, p.77
  27. ^ab"Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4)".Opsi.gov.uk. 24 March 2005.Retrieved13 March2009.
  28. ^"NDS – News Distribution Service".Gnn.gov.uk. 15 August 2008.Retrieved13 March2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  29. ^"No. 57779".The London Gazette.5 October 2005. p. 12927.
  30. ^"No. 58843".The London Gazette.6 October 2008. p. 15222.
  31. ^"No. 59931".The London Gazette.6 October 2011. p. 19091.
  32. ^"No. 60644".The London Gazette.1 October 2013. p. 19289.
  33. ^ab"Appointment of the President of the Queen's Bench Division".judiciary.uk.Retrieved5 July2019.
  34. ^abHouse of Lords Debates 28 January 1999 c 1244–45.
  35. ^abAccess to Justice Act 1999,s 69.
  36. ^Swaine, Jon (2 December 2009)."MPs expenses: Profile of Sir Paul Kennedy, new judge of allowance claims".The Telegraph.Retrieved14 October2012.
  37. ^"Appointments to Queen's Bench Division of the High Court and Lord Justice of Appeal"(Press release). Number10.gov.uk. 4 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2009.
  38. ^"Lord Justice May to replace Kennedy".Legal Week (subscription required).9 August 2001.May is to replace Lord Justice Kennedy in the role. The appointment will come into effect in February 2002...
  39. ^Rozenberg, Joshua (12 October 2012)."A Who's Hughes of the number twos".The Telegraph.
  40. ^"Appointment of Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division and Deputy Senior Presiding Judge"(Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 27 July 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 18 December 2012.
  41. ^"New Vice President of the Queen's Bench Division Appointed"(Press release). Courts and Tribunals Judiciary of England and Wales. 14 March 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2014.
  42. ^Vice-President of the Queen’s Bench Division

Notes

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  1. ^SeeChallenges to decisions of England and Wales magistrates' courts.
  2. ^SeeCourts of England and Walesfor an explanation of these courts.
  3. ^An exception was Judge Humphrey Henchman, appointed in June 1714 by direction of the Board of Admiralty, rather than the monarch. Henchman served for six months and was removed from office in December 1714.[25]
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