As part of their introduction to common law, students in Münster's FFA program are given an overview of the court structure in England. This is an exciting time to be learning about the UK court system (well, we really learn about the system in England/Wales) because it is in the midst of unprecedented change. Receiving most of the attention is the new UK Supreme Court, slated to open its doors in 2009. This new high court will basically replace the House of Lords as the top court in the UK. The plan is for the 12 Law Lords who make up the current top court to become members of the new Supreme Court. But eight of the twelve current Law Lords are set to retire before 2009 (remember, Law Lords must retire at age 75 in the England/Wales system, although the retirement age for most other judges is 70).
Reports out of England (yes, I am aware that this link is to a page run by the University of Pittsburgh law school and that Pittsburgh is NOT in England) indicate that the current Lord Chief Justice will likely sit as the head of the new court when it opens in 2009, replacing the current head of the Law Lords who is set to retire sometime this year. The other three vacancies will likely be filled under the new appointment system, which may include submitting an application and doing interviews.
