It’s been a good week for diversity in the judiciary, as Mr Justice Singh becomes the first non-white judge to sit in the Court of Appeal.
The esteemed British Sikh judge will also be the first justice in the Court of Appeal to wear a turban.
The news of the appointment follows the announcement that Lady Hale will become the first woman to take up the position of Supreme Court President, the highest position in the judiciary in the UK. Lady Justice Black has also been appointed to the Supreme Court, bringing the total number of women in the country’s highest court to two – the highest it’s ever been
Tell me more about Mr Justice Singh!
Rabinder Singh was born in Delhi in 1964 and moved to the UK with his family, where they settled in a working class area in Bristol. He was awarded a local authority scholarship to pay for his fees at Bristol Grammar school, before going on to study law at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley.
High Court judge & @lmhoxford visiting fellow Rabinder Singh in conversation with the Principal last night pic.twitter.com/rIp3eJTnoL
— Lady Margaret Hall (@lmhoxford) May 13, 2017
Singh was an extremely talented student, but couldn’t afford to study for his Bar exams, so went on to teach law at Nottingham University instead. However, all was not lost because he later won a scholarship from the Inns of Court. He was called to the bar in 1989 and developed an impressive practice in public law, human rights and employment. In 2000, he was one of the barristers who set up Matrix Chambers.
He rose quickly through the ranks to became a QC in 2002. The following year, when aged 39, he was appointed Deputy High Court Judge, making him the youngest judge to sit in the High Court. In 2004 he was appointed Recorder of the Crown Court and in 2011 he became a High Court Judge. Currently he’s on the Queen’s Bench Division.
Mr Justice Singh is an honorary professor at the University of Nottingham and has also held visiting posts at Queen Mary University in London and the London School of Economics. Basically, he’s bossing it.
Want to know more about the people in our judiciary and your human rights? You’re in the right place!
- Check out Lady Hale’s CV, the first female Supreme Court President
- Lord Neuberger, outgoing President, says human rights make judges nicer
