Consultation on the mandatory retirement age for judicial office holders

The UK justice system is known across the world for its excellence, objectivity and impartiality. This is due, in no small part, to the exceptional expertise of our courts and tribunal judges, our coroners, and our valued magistrates. Our independent judiciary uphold and exercise the rule of law every day, often on the most difficult legal, technical and sometimes moral issues of our time, underpinning the foundation of our democracy, and helping safeguard fairness and freedom in our society. It is a role that requires expertise and experience and a drive to serve justice and the community. A mandatory retirement age preserves the independence of our judiciary by alleviating the need for individual assessments of health and capacity. This in turn ensures that judicial office holders cannot be removed at the whim of the Executive and provides security of tenure until retirement. Furthermore, a mandatory retirement age promotes the growth of diversity across judicial office h