Sue Carr said judges have been subject to “inaccurate and unfair criticism”
UK lady chief justice Sue Carr has highlighted security concerns for judges in her 2025 annual report.
Carr said judges have had to operate in an “increasingly challenging landscape.” In addition to constant policy changes, judges have faced “inaccurate and unfair criticism, sometimes personal, with associated security threats.”
England and Wales senior presiding judge, Nicholas Green, cited security as “an area of ongoing concern” in a statement published by the Law Society Gazette.
“We see far too many instances of judges experiencing threats and harassment, both physically and online,” Green said in a statement published by the Gazette.
King’s Bench Division president Victoria Sharp said in a statement published by the Gazette that she was “continuing to work with ministers and HMCTS to ensure judges across the High Court, and beyond, are given the support and security that they need, in particular when working on circuit.”
Carr noted that a security taskforce had debuted this year to help judicial office holders improve their protective measures. The taskforce, which is led by Amanda Yip, works with police experts and criminal justice agencies to implement protective systems and procedures for the judiciary; the taskforce has also rolled out a digital security training program for the judiciary.
She added that His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service had pledged capital funding to facilitate the update of safety measures in courts and tribunals estates. Moreover., Martin Spencer was appointed chair of the Security Committee on Judges’ Council, which coordinates judicial security policy and assists judicial office holders targeted in specific threats.
Carr indicated that addressing unacceptable judicial behavior remained a priority.
“I have been clear that the senior judiciary does not seek to excuse or minimise inappropriate behaviour by judges. I am absolutely committed to a modern, diverse and inclusive judiciary that upholds our values of integrity, fairness and respect to all,” she wrote in her report. “We have clear standards of behaviour expected from all judicial office holders, which is supported by training and support for judges at all levels, particularly those with leadership responsibilities. Work to review the routes available to raise concerns and resolve issues and working to challenge and change unacceptable behaviour is ongoing.”
The “Lady Chief Justice’s Report 2025” covers the judiciary’s work from October 2024 to September 2025.
