Lady Justice Simler- diversity champion becomes UK Supreme Court judge

The UK Supreme Court has today announced that a vacancy arising in the top judicial role in the country will be filled by a women, Lady Justice Simler. Whilst she will be the fifth woman to sit on the UK Supreme Court, she will join just one other woman, Lady Rose. The remaining ten justices are men. 

Lady Justice Simler has been a Court of Appeal judge for four years, and having moved to the UK from South Africa during the apartheid era, has a deep understanding of the importance of equality and eradication of discrimination. She has spoken at length about how the judiciary, which determines disputes and sets the law for society as a whole, must itself be representative of that society. In an interview with Counsel Magazine, she said: “ee must address diversity at all levels in the judiciary and the legal professions. Increasing the numbers from unrepresented groups is important but is not enough. We have to focus on culture change and inclusion.” 

Unfortunately, major media outlets are reporting on the appointment of Lady Justice Simler with headlines that read “Mother of four becomes Supreme Court Justice”. When was the last time you read “Husband/ Father of two becomes judge/ Prime Minister/ insert other significant achievement”? Whilst this appointment is a step towards progress, there clearly remains work to be done to truly achieve the necessary culture change which can truly result in gender equity.