Bleak outlook for diversity in the judiciary

Posted By: James

Tuesday 4th August 2015

In a letter to the Guardian, Professor Kate Malleson at the University of London responds to an article on diversity in the judiciary. She says the suggestion that more than half of judges under 40 are women gives a “wholly misleading picture of the progress toward gender balance in the judiciary”. Younger female judges are clustered at the lower ranks of the judiciary, says Professor Malleson, while the situation at the top has barely changed at all since last year. “Lord Sumption's claim that it may take 50 years to achieve a diverse judiciary is starting to look extremely optimistic.” Meanwhile, the prospect of more ethnic minority lawyers or solicitors being appointed is “particularly bleak”. “The senior judiciary remains dominated by white, male barristers from wealthy backgrounds,” concludes Professor Malleson.

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