Chief Justice of Gibraltar

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The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar is one of the two judges who make up the supreme court of Gibraltar. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor of Gibraltar on the advice of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

As a judge of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice is responsible for hearing civil and criminal proceedings, including Family Jurisdiction, Court of Protection, Admiralty Jurisdiction and Ordinary (Chancery) Jurisdiction, as well as appeals from the Court of First Instance and the Magistrate's Court.

The current Chief Justice is The Hon Mr Justice Derek Schofield. He is known to be a stalwart advocate of Human Rights and of a strong and independent judiciary.

On 17th September 2007 the Governor announced the suspension of Chief Justice Schofield on full pay pending the investigation and resolution of the ongoing conflict between him, the Chief Minister and leading members of the Gibraltar Bar Association stemming from the judicial reforms introduced through the new constitution and the Judicial services Act. The Acting Chief Justice is Anthony Dudley. [1]