18 December 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today welcomed the appointment by Her Majesty the Queen of the Rt Hon Lord Carloway as Scotland’s new Lord President.

Lord Carloway succeeds the Rt Hon Lord Gill who retired from the post as head of Scotland’s judiciary on 31 May 2015.

The Lord President is the senior judge in Scotland and the head of the judiciary. As presiding judge of Scotland’s supreme civil and criminal courts, he acts as both Lord President of the Court of Session and the Lord Justice General of the High Court of Justiciary.  The Lord President also chairs the Board of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

The First Minister said:

“I warmly welcome the appointment of Lord Carloway as Scotland’s new Lord President. Lord Carloway has a wide breadth of experience in both the civil and criminal spheres and his commitment to continuing reform and modernisation of our justice system is clear. Under his leadership I am confident that the already substantial improvements to Scotland’s courts will continue.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Lord Gill for his outstanding public service both in his role as a judge and as the Lord President. Lord Gill is an eminent individual of great stature and integrity who led Scotland’s judiciary with distinction. The reforms that were recommended by the Review which Lord Gill led on the Scottish civil justice system will be his legacy, and are seen as the greatest changes made to the system for over a century.  Lord Carloway is a worthy successor in this important role.”