Retiring January 2027
Lord Reed has announced that he will step down as president of the UK Supreme Court in January 2027. He was sworn in as Supreme Court president in 2020, replacing Lady Hale.
He became a justice of the Supreme Court in February 2012 and served as deputy president from June 2018, before taking on the presidency in 2020. Prior to his appointment to the UK’s top bench, former civil barrister Reed served as a senior judge in Scotland from 1998 to 2012, including roles in both the Outer and Inner Houses of the Court of Session.
Lord Reed studied law at the University of Edinburgh and at the University of Oxford. He qualified as both an advocate in Scotland and a barrister in England, practising at the Scottish Bar in a wide range of civil cases and also prosecuting serious crime.
Announcing his retirement, Lord Reed said:
“I have decided that I will retire from the office of President of the Supreme Court on 10 January 2027. I will then have served for seven years as President, for 15 years as a judge of the Supreme Court, and for 28 years as a member of the senior judiciary.”
“It has been a privilege to serve the citizens of the United Kingdom, and the people of the Privy Council jurisdictions round the world,” he added.
It is expected that the Lord Chancellor will convene an independent selection commission, under rules set by parliament, to appoint Lord Reed’s successor.