New Judicial Commissioners Appointed
The Prime Minister has appointed three new Judicial Commissioners.
Sir Peter Gross, Sir Duncan Ouseley and Sir Michael Supperstone will join the team of Judicial Commissioners who work alongside the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson.
Judicial Commissioners provide independent authorisation of applications for the use of certain intrusive investigatory powers. These powers are used by a wide range of public authorities
Sir Brian Leveson said:
“The Judicial Commissioners perform an essential role in ensuring that investigatory powers are used appropriately and in accordance with the law.
“I am delighted to welcome Sir Peter Gross, Sir Duncan Ouseley and Sir Michael Supperstone to support this important work.”
A Judicial Commissioner is a serving or retired member of the senior judiciary in the UK. Appointments are made by the Prime Minister, having consulted with Scottish Ministers, on the recommendation of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the Lord President of the Court of Session and the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.
Sir Peter Gross, Sir Duncan Ouseley and Sir Michael Supperstone will begin their roles as Judicial Commissioners in late May 2021.
Biographies
Sir Peter Gross
Sir Peter Gross is a retired Lord Justice. He was called to the Bar in 1977 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1992. In July 2010, he became a Lord Justice of Appeal, and was appointed to the Privy Council in 2011. He became Deputy Senior Presiding Judge in October 2011, and was Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales from January 2013 to December 2015. He later was appointed Lead Judge for International Relations in January 2018. On retirement from the Court of Appeal, Sir Peter was appointed President of the Slynn Foundation in November 2019, dedicated to advancing the Rule of Law internationally. In December 2020 Sir Peter was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to chair the Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR) examining whether the Human Rights Act 1998 is working effectively. Sir Peter has been included in the list (published in December 2020) of those to be appointed to arbitration panels established under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement to address disputes between the EU and UK under that Agreement. In January 2021, Sir Peter was appointed to the Court of Appeal of the Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”).
Sir Duncan Ouseley
Sir Duncan Ouseley was called to the Bar (G) in 1973, took Silk in 1992, (NI) in 1997 and was elected a Bencher in 2000. He was appointed a Recorder in 1994, a Judge of the High Court (Queen’s Bench) in 2000 and Chairman of the Special Immigration Appeal Commission from 2003 to 2006. He was appointed President of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal from 2003 to 2005 and was Judge in charge of the Administrative Court from 2010 to 2015. The Honourable Sir Duncan Brian Walter Ouseley retired from the High Court (Queen’s Bench) with effect from 17 May 2019.
Sir Michael Supperstone
Sir Michael Supperstone was called to the Bar (M) in 1973, took Silk in 1991 and was elected a Bencher in 1999. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1992, a Recorder in 1996, a Deputy High Court Judge in 1998, a Judge of the High Court (Queen’s Bench) in 2010 and a Judge of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in 2011. He was the Queen’s Bench Liaison Judge (North and North Eastern Circuits) from 2013 to 2014 and Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court from 2017 until his retirement. He retired from the High Court (Queen’s Bench) with effect from 31 March 2020.