Page 24 - Judicial Diversity Update report

recent competition, only four women were recommended for immediate
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appointment out of the 24 Deputies appointed (17%).

2.11. The 2017-2018 Recorder exercise saw 150 appointments. Though women
were estimated at 45% of the eligible pool, only 40% of applicants were
women and only 32% of those recommended for immediate appointment were
women. The 2018-2019 Recorder exercise saw a reduction in the proportion
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of women appointed, with just 43 women among the 159 appointments (27%).

The Court of Appeal

2.12. The picture of appointments to the Court of Appeal is mixed and disappointing.
In July 2017, seven new judges were appointed, only one of whom was a
woman. In July 2018, three out of seven appointees were women, however in
July 2019, of the five judges appointed only one was a woman. Therefore,
over three appointment rounds that saw the elevation of 19 judges to the Court
of Appeal, only five were women (26%). The recent and upcoming retirement
of a number of Lady Justices of Appeal will have a further negative impact on
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the number of women in the sitting cohort.

2.13. Nevertheless, and as observed in our analysis of Circuit bench and High Court
appointments, our independent analysis shows that women at the Court of
Appeal were appointed younger and after spending less time in their previous
judicial roles. While on average men were appointed when they were 60 years

42 Deputy High Court Judges 2019, Judicial Appointments Commission, available online at
https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/deputy-high-court-judges-2019
43 We will not know how many women applied for this position, nor their portion of the eligible pool,
until the statistics are released later in 2020.
44 Judicial Appointments Commission, ‘Judicial Selection and Recommendations for Appointment:
Official Statistics, 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018’, June 2018, p.16, available online at
https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sync/about_the_jac/official_statistics/statis
tics-bulletin-jac-2017-18.pdf.
45 There are currently eight Lady Justices of Appeal; see: ‘Senior Judiciary’, Courts and Tribunals
Judiciary, available online at https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/who-are-the-
judiciary/senior-judiciary-list/
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