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The President of the Queen's Bench Division is the head of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. The current President is Sir Brian Leveson.
Contents
Until 2005, the Lord Chief Justice was also the President of the Queen's Bench, but the role was separated under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and Sir Igor Judge became the first President.
List of Presidents of the Queen's Bench Division
Vice-President
The office of Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division predates the separation of the division's presidency from the office of Lord Chief Justice. In 1988, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, made arrangements for Sir Tasker Watkins, a Lord Justice of Appeal, to be Deputy Chief Justice, deputising across the range of Lane's responsibilities. The arrangement continued under Lane's successor, but when Watkins retired in 1993, Lord Taylor of Gosford appointed Sir Paul Kennedy of the Court of Appeal to oversee the Queen's Bench Division. Lord Bingham of Cornhill, who took over as Lord Chief Justice in 1996, made arrangements with Lord Mackay of Clashfern (Lord Chancellor under John Major) whereby Lord Justice Kennedy would become Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division with the understanding that it would be made a statutory office at an early date. Lord Bingham made the appointment in 1997, and Lord Mackay's Labour successor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, honoured the commitment in the Access to Justice Act 1999.