Achi news desk-
At least four senior judges have resigned from the all-male Garrick Club, the Judicial Office has said, as men in the legal profession come under increasing pressure over their close association with an organization that has repeatedly blocked attempts to allow women join.
The office confirmed that appeal court judge Keith Lindblom and high court judges Nicholas Cusworth, Nicholas Lavender and Ian Dove had resigned.
A spokesperson added that it is possible that more had done so but had not reported such to the Judicial Office, which provides training and human resources advice to the judiciary in England and Wales.
The four judges were among dozens in the legal profession now known to have been members. Their number included four other appeal court judges, five other high court judges, dozens of serving and retired judges, current and former ministers in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and a number of senior lawyers.
The matter is now being taken seriously at the highest levels of the judiciary. The chief justice, Sue Carr, who is president of the courts and head of the judiciary for England and Wales, said that the revelations about the membership of judges from the Garrick underline the need to continue the work to improve inclusion in the profession.
In an internal message sent to judges, he wrote: “You will have seen the recent media coverage relating to judicial members of the Garrick Club. I am aware of the issues raised, I take them seriously. I would like to emphasize my commitment to diversity and inclusiveness across the judiciary. We must continue our vital work in this area including delivering the work outlined in our diversity and inclusion strategy.”
The resignations of the judges followed the resignations of the head of the civil service, Simon Case, and the head of MI6, Richard Moore. They had faced harsh criticism of their decision to join the club in the first place, and their decision to leave last week put further pressure on those who kept the membership at the time.
The news came days after the publication of an open letter signed by more than 80 lawyers in England and Wales, calling on judges to give up their membership, calling them “incompatible with the core principles of justice, equality and fairness”.
Dr Charlotte Proudman, who co-ordinated the open letter with fellow barrister Elisabeth Traugott, said the signatories were calling on colleagues to resign from the club – and for the club to allow women to join.
“Hopefully we will see a domino effect, with more and more people slowly starting to resign. And I certainly hope that by the end of this week all the critics have resigned from the Garrick Club,” he told Sky News on Monday morning.
A second open letter was circulated last night among members of the legal profession, highlighting the belief that membership of the Garrick, with its current rules, is inconsistent with the judiciary’s guidance of the courts and tribunals on judicial behaviour.
The letter was organized by fashion entrepreneur Emily Bendell, who has been campaigning for the Garrick to change its rules for several years. He referred to one line in the guide, saying: “The principles of practicing equality and fair treatment have always been fundamental to the role and behavior of the judiciary in carrying out their judicial functions… These principles should also be reflected in behavior outside the court. “
The guidance was jointly authorized by Lord Justice Lindblom, one of the judges who resigned from the Garrick this week. Another line of the guide quoted in the letter states: “Because judicial office necessarily attracts public scrutiny, holders of judicial office are subject to restrictions on their private lives that may not apply to others… They should not act in a way, even privately. or family life, which could reduce respect for judicial office or cast doubt on their independence, impartiality or integrity.”
A spokesman for Her Bar, a group working to support women’s barristers’ careers, founded by Nasreen Shah and Rachel Bale, welcomed the resignations: “It is sincerely hoped that all members of the bench and bar will follow the one thing. If the Garrick Club does not listen to the chorus of women who have been asking for entry for 50 years, they may be forced to listen to the echo of their empty rooms in order to evolve into the 21st century.”
Helena Kennedy, barrister and Labor member in the House of Lords, has argued in favor of a system similar to the United States which would prohibit judges from joining the Garrick. The US federal code of conduct for judges states that they “should not hold membership in any organization which prejudges conduct on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin”, adding that such membership “leads to perceptions that the judge is biased. is disrupted”.
