Law lord calls for 'democratic' system to appoint new judges A senior law lord has called for a radical change to the way judges are appointed, ending the dominance of white, Oxbridge educated males. Lord Steyn, the first law lord to openly speak out against the present system, said it was time for a fully independent judicial appointments commission, which gives "democratic legitimacy and is the lynchpin of the administration of justice". "I hope this is a listening Government," said Lord Steyn, who had been invited to speak at the London School of Economics by the Association of Women Barristers. His comments will embarrass the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, who has resisted radical change. Lord Steyn said he supported the work of fellow speaker Dr Kate Malleson, who had recently written a report for the Lord Chancellor's Department, based on the views of 138 senior lawyers and part-time judges, which showed a "clear consensus" that appointments should be "based on openness, objectivity and selection on merit rather than patronage". Dr Malleson said some lawyers had likened the appointments process to a caste system. She said women made up just 11.7 per cent of the judiciary, while the proportion of ethnic minority lawyers was only 1.7 per cent. She agreed with Lord Steyn that the creation of a judicial appointments commission seemed inevitable. By Robert Verkaik, Legal Affairs Correspondent 12 July 2000 "The Independent" - an English broadsheet ("Oxbridge" - Oxford and Cambridge Unis - UK's "Ivy League") ------------------------------------------------- "Perceptions" note: Power, physical or judgemental, always attracts frauds and perverts. Which explains the corrupt police, magistrates and judges we've exposed. Check latest at http://www.perceptions.couk.com/laworjustice.html and its links. ------------------------------------------------- FURTHER REFERENCES GO - "search perceptions" - in SEARCH-ENGINE file-ID www.perceptions.couk.com/corrupt2.txt