Judicial Diversity In The English Legal System

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Introduction
Judicial diversity has been a continuous topic of discussion in both society and in the English legal system. Currently, the process of the merit system causes a lack of diversity in the English bench, which is highly due to the undiverse characters of the upper reaches of the legal profession. There have been numerous unsuccessful attempts to promote diversity within the judiciary. The Constitution Reform Act 2005 (CRA 2005) was then introduced to ensure selection is based on merit and to promote judicial diversity. Lord Sumption views that the judiciary will remain very standardized in its makeup without any form of positive discrimination. This will create issues within the English legal system, as opportunities are not equal …show more content…

Under the prior method of ‘tap on the shoulder’ from a senior judge, particular individuals were encouraged into the judiciary whereas others would not have been given a chance to apply. Under the merit system, applicants are limited as there is a condition of having proficient work experience in the legal profession. Alternative explanations include structural barriers and cultural bias. For example, women are discouraged by the judicial working practices due to familial responsibilities. Both women and BME feel unwelcome in the legal profession and the judiciary as merit tends to be equated with going to the right educational institutions and being part of an exclusive …show more content…

He believes it will take 50 years to see improvement in diversity of the English bench based on the statistics aforementioned. On the contrary, Mrs. Justice Dobbs believes that a female representative or an ethnic minority judge on the panel will not necessarily decide a case differently than a white male judge. Men and women do have different experiences, but this should not affect their decision-making process. If it does, it is not difficult for another individual of the opposite sex to comprehend it equally well. However, the presence of women and BME would enrich the courts and would possibly allow for a diverse judicial bench to better relate to claimants and defendants as such individuals have different

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