Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project submits evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry on the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Act 1998

Richard Ekins (University of Oxford and Head of the Judicial Power Project) and Graham Gee (University of Sheffield) have submitted written evidence to the inquiry by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights on 20 Years of the Human Rights Act. Download our submission or read online via Parliament’s website.

Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project responds to Government paper on European Court of Justice post-Brexit

If Britain thinks Efta will give it back control of its laws, it’ll need to put a lot of work in first By Dr Gunnar Beck, Visiting Fellow, Judicial Power Project  Featured in The Telegraph The European Commission has been demanding that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) at Luxembourg should continue to operate as the final arbiter settling any disputes involving the rights of EU citizens in the UK […]

Policy Exchange Judicial Power Project’s letter to Financial Times Editor published

Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project Head, Professor Richard Ekins and Graham Gee wrote to the Financial Times in responce to a recent editorial. Read the letter in full below. It was published here. UK judges’ future looks robust, not fragile Sir, Your editorial “Brexit places Britain’s judges in the line of fire” (August 11) wrongly states that refusal to concede a continuing role for the European Court of Justice after […]

Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project mentioned in House of Lords

Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project was praised by Lord Faulks QC in the House of Lords during a debate on Article 50. He said: “There is an important debate to be had about the proper reach of judicial power—one that is taking place under the auspices of Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project.” You can read the debate here. Photo credit: Lord Faulks QC Minister of State for Civil Justice (Lords […]

Charles Moore references Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project in The Telegraph

In a recent column for The Telegraph, entitled ‘A diversity of opinions, more than of cultures, is what we need in the judiciary’, Charles Moore referenced the work of Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project in relation to the Supreme Court’s Article 50 ruling. He said: “In the arguments about Miller, for example, no expert grouping, apart from the Judicial Power Project at Policy Exchange, has questioned the orthodoxy of “judges […]

Judicial Power Project: John Finnis on ‘Brexit and the Balance of Our Constitution’

Following on from his three Judicial Power Project papers on Miller, Professor John Finnis delivered the Sir Thomas More Lecture at Lincoln’s Inn on ‘Brexit and the Balance of Our Constitution’, on 1 December 2016. The lecture provided powerful explanation of constitutional principle and the sound way to understand the legal issues at dispute before the Supreme Court in the Miller case next week. We are extremely pleased to publish the final version of the text. John […]

Judicial Power Project: Dame Elisabeth Laing’s ‘Two Cheers for Judicial Activism’

One of the principal aims of this website, launched just over a year ago now, has been to encourage debate about the proper bounds of judicial power. Our aim has not been simply to contribute to the academic discourse about the separation of powers, but rather to inform and engage politicians, practitioners, and the public at large. Thus, in conversation with colleagues who take a different view, we have sought […]

The Queen’s Speech and Judicial Power: Could the British Bill of Rights make things worse?

While economic issues were very much at the forefront of this year’s Queen’s Speech, the government has also laid out a substantial constitutional and legal agenda as part of its legislative programme.The headline measure is the proposed British Bill of Rights, which would supersede the Human Rights Act. A perennial proposal most recently floated under David Cameron, the Bill’s stated aim is to restore “the balance of power between the […]

How to Reform Judicial Review

How to Reform Judicial Review July 19, 2021 Download Publication This paper is the text of Policy Exchange’s response to the Government’s Consultation on Judicial Review Reform. It builds on submissions made by Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project to the Independent Review on Administrative Law (one written by me, the other by Sir Stephen Laws), which were quoted in the Panel’s report and in the Government’s Response.The Consultation responds to

The problem of judicial diversity

In Reforming the Supreme Court, Professor Wyatt and Professor Ekins have produced a thoughtful contribution to the ongoing scholarly debate on the correct limits to judicial power; a debate which is, and always has been, driven by political rather than legal priorities. From the 1970s to the 1990s claims of judicial overreach in the UK were made primarily by those on the left such as JAG Griffith, Conor Gearty and Keith