Judges need to work on boosting their public image, says justice secretary Liz Truss, warning they’ll be in the spotlight even more post-Brexit
The justice secretary today called on the judiciary to do more to boost its public image, warning it will face more scrutiny once the European Court of Justice is no longer the top court post-Brexit.
Liz Truss told the Financial Times the Supreme Court would face "even greater attention" once the UK was no longer a member of the EU.
She added she would be throwing her weight behind the country's judges by "explaining the judicial role in the constitution and continuing to defend [its] independence" and would be encouraging judges to raise their profile by speaking "out about the important work they do to ensure that it is widely understood".
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Truss faced some harsh words last year after she was slow to stand up for the trio of High Court judges in the so-called Brexit case, who were dubbed the "enemies of the people" by the Daily Mail after they ruled the government must seek the approval of parliament before it could trigger Article 50.
The justice secretary noted this case, which was subsequently appealed up to the Supreme Court, created even more reason for judges to work on their public image and they should "feel free to talk about what they do and explain it to the public".