Baltimore Injury Lawyer Blog

OK. I am back everybody, having taken a short break from this blog to do really important, lawyer-type things. Or something like that.

I have noticed a few legal topics in the news. One that quickly caught my eye was the announcement that yesterday marked the first sitting of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. This represents a shift from the previous arrangement where the UK’s top court was a part of the House of Lords. Apparently the motivation for the change stems from some European Union rules that mandate clear separation between legislative and judicial functions.

What I think is strange is that it doesn’t look like there will be any practical difference in the makeup of the court or how it will work. For one, the court is made up of the same judges that were handling appeals in the House of Lords, save one. For another, it isn’t like these guys were legislators anyway. They were professional judges hired and made part of the House of Lords specifically to handle the appellate function.

I can’t say I see a compelling need for change here. I mean, the Magna Carta was enacted in 1215, and it doesn’t seem that the UK has descended into a Lord of The Flies situation. Of course, maybe it’s just a good idea to change things up every 700 years or so. Not to mention, some countries figured out separation of powers around the late 1700’s, so it’s about time the UK got up to speed.