About us
The JAC is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland. They select candidates for judicial office on merit through fair and open competition from the widest range of eligible candidates.
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
We select candidates for judicial office on merit, through fair and open competition, from the widest range of eligible candidates.
We were set up in order to maintain and strengthen judicial independence by taking responsibility for selecting candidates for judicial office out of the hands of the Lord Chancellor and making the appointments process clearer and more accountable.
The Commission In accordance with the CRA, there are fifteen Commissioners, including the Chairman. All are recruited and appointed through open competition with the exception of three judicial members who are selected by the Judges’ Council. Membership of the Commission is drawn from the judiciary, the legal profession, the magistracy and the public.
The judicial appointments for which the JAC makes selections are set out in Schedule 14 to the CRA.