Judges have three key roles:
- Ensuring the law is applies
- Preside over trials (lower courts, e.g., High Court, Magistrates Court, County Court, etc.)
- Clarifying the law (higher courts, e.g., Supreme Court, Court of Appeal)
Judges also have two key principles:
- Independence - free from pressure
- Neutrality - impartial
Explanation
Judges need to be both neutral and independent in order to be impartial. To be neutral, they have to be independent since pressure may influence their partiality. Imagine your boss pushing for you to do x, despite going against your contract.
See:
Independence vs. Neutrality
| Independence | Neutrality |
|---|---|
| Salary not set by parliament | Cannot be involved with either side of the case |
| Security of tenure (job) | Political views not known |
| Growing separation of powers through the creation of the Supreme Court | Principle of rule of law |
| Judicial appointments commission | Judges operate impartiality |
| Reform to the role the Lord Chancellor (split 3-ways) | Verdict based on evidence alone |