Mr. Justice Lawrence has been appointed Lord Chief Justice of
England. He is known as a sound lawyer and an efficient judge, though at the age of seventy-eight he was not expected to remain much longer on the Bench or to gain promotion. The Government, in eh oosing him, have done welL Never- theless, we cannot help regretting that the Government left this high judicial office vacant for weeks, while they debated the political advantages and disadvantages of giving it to this or that lawyer-politioian. From the public standpoint the Prime Minister is doubtless right in holding that Sir Gordon Hewart may render better service to his country in these critical times as Attorney-General than as Lord Chief Justice. But the Government should not have hesitated to make a choice. The high traditions of the Bench are an immensely important asset to the community. They will be impaired if legal appoint- ments are too obviously dictated by political expediency.
Previous page
