History Has Been Made! Sue Carr, the First Female Supreme Court Justice of England and Wales Since the 13th Century

Dame Sue Lasceles Carr. (Wikimedia Commons/Judicial Office, England & Wales)

JAKARTA - The head of justice in England and Wales will be held by a woman for the first time in the role's more than 750 year history, it was announced on Thursday.

Dame Sue Lascelles Carr was formally appointed by King Charles III and will take on the role of Lord Chief Justice, dating back to the 13th century, following the retirement of Ian Burnett in October.

The title Lord Chief Justice, created in 1268, was fixed in law. However, UK Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told the BBC this week the title could be changed depending on Carr's wishes.

"Ultimately, it has to be a title he likes. And, within reason, I think I might be led by what he says," Chalk said as quoted by The Guardian.

A judicial source said any decision or change to the post "will not be made in haste and will be decided at a later date".

Carr's appointment by King Charles III was on the advice of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Justice Minister Alex Chalk, following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.

Royal Courts of Justice in London. (Wikimedia Commons/David Castor)

Carr was educated at Wycombe Abbey school and studied law at Trinity College Cambridge.

The 58-year-old graduated as a lawyer in 1987 and was first appointed as a judge in 2009, before becoming a High Court judge in 2013.

She is the first female high court judge to sit on a technology and construction court and the second to sit on a commercial court. She also sat on the investigative powers court between 2014 and 2016, before being appointed as a women's appeals judge in 2020.

The mother of three is fluent in French and German and is an accomplished musician, singing in the choir and playing the piano.

It is known, the judiciary seeks to increase the diversity of the profession. Currently, the number of women sitting as court judges is up to 35 percent, up from 24 percent in 2015.

However, the Law Society estimates that it will still be another decade before they reach half the number of trial judges, reflecting their prevalence in society.

The proportion of women occupying senior judge positions is also lower compared to more junior positions. Only one of the 12 justices is a woman.

The main responsibilities of the lord chief justice are representing the views of the judiciary to parliament and the government, welfare, training and mentoring of judges, discussing the provision of resources for the judiciary, allocated by the Lord Chancellor, with the government and the placement of judges and the allocation of work in the courts.