Courts Act 2003

10Appointment of lay justices etc.E+W

This section has no associated Explanatory Notes

(1)Lay justices are to be appointed for England and Wales by the Lord Chancellor by instrument on behalf and in the name of Her Majesty.

(2)[F1Lord Chief Justice]

(a)must assign each lay justice to one or more local justice areas, and

(b)may change an assignment so as to assign the lay justice to a different local justice area or to different local justice areas.

[F2(2A)The Lord Chancellor must ensure that arrangements for the exercise, so far as affecting any local justice area, of functions under subsections (1) and (2) include arrangements for consulting persons appearing to him to have special knowledge of matters relevant to the exercise of those functions in relation to that area.]

(3)Every lay justice is, by virtue of his office, capable of acting as such in any local justice area (whether or not he is assigned to it); but he may do so only in accordance with arrangements made by [F3Lord Chief Justice] .

(4)Rules may make provision about the training courses to be completed before a person may exercise functions as a lay justice in any proceedings or class of proceedings specified in the rules.

(5)Subsection (3) is subject to section 12 (the supplemental list).

[F4(6)The functions conferred on the Lord Chief Justice by subsections (2) and (3) may be exercised only after consulting the Lord Chancellor.

(7)The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under subsection (2) or (3).]

Textual Amendments