He succeeds Patrick Stewart Hodge, who retires at the end of the year
The UK Supreme Court has announced that Philip James Sales will be its new deputy president effective January 2026.
Sales succeeds Patrick Stewart Hodge, who retires at the end of the year, in the role. Sales’ appointment was recommended by an independent selection commission and approved by King Charles III on the advice of the prime minister and lord chancellor.
Sales will work closely with Supreme Court president Robert John Reed to supervise the court’s judicial work. They also collaborate with the court’s chief executive, who manages court administration.
Moreover, the deputy president meets with members of parliament, the government, and other UK courts, in addition to spearheading engagement with overseas apex courts and international judicial organisations. As deputy president, Sales will also cultivate collegiality amongst the court justices and work with staff supporting the court’s work.
Sales joined the UK Supreme Court bench in January 2019. He was previously a lord justice of appeal and deputy chair of the Boundary Commission for England.
He served as vice-president of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal from 2014 to 2015. He was appointed to the High Court, Chancery Division in 2008.
“It is a great honour to be appointed as the Deputy President of the Supreme Court. The Court has a reputation around the world as a source of leading judgments of the highest quality in all areas of law. As Deputy President, I am looking forward to continuing to uphold the Court’s traditions of integrity, impartiality and legal excellence,” Sales said in a statement. “I am also looking forward to maintaining those same traditions in the work of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the other jurisdiction in which Supreme Court Justices make a major contribution to the law.”
David Anthony Stewart Richards also announced his retirement from the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as of June 2026. Lord Chancellor David Lammy has established a selection committee to determine Richards’ replacement.
