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'''Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss''', [[Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|GBE]], [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|PC]] (''née'' '''Havers'''; born 10 August 1933) is a retired [[England and Wales|English]] judge. She was the first female [[Lord Justice of Appeal]] and was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom until 2004, when [[Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond|Baroness Hale]] was appointed to the [[House of Lords Appellate Committee|House of Lords]]. Until June 2007, she chaired the [[inquest]]s into [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|the deaths]] of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], and [[Dodi Fayed]]. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by [[Lord Justice Scott Baker]].
'''Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss''', (''née'' '''Havers'''; born 10 August 1933) is a retired [[England and Wales|English]] judge. She was the first female [[Lord Justice of Appeal]] and was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom until 2004, when [[Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond|Baroness Hale]] was appointed to the [[House of Lords Appellate Committee|House of Lords]]. Until June 2007, she chaired the [[inquest]]s into [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|the deaths]] of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], and [[Dodi Fayed]]. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by [[Lord Justice Scott Baker]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss was born on 10 August 1933 to [[Cecil Havers|Sir Cecil Havers]], a barrister (later a judge), and Enid Flo Havers (''née'' Snelling). She was sister to [[Michael Havers, Baron Havers|The Lord Havers]], a Conservative [[Lord Chancellor]], and is aunt to his sons, the actor [[Nigel Havers]] and the barrister [[Philip Havers, KC]]. She was educated at Broomfield House School in [[Kew]], in West London, and [[Wycombe Abbey School]], an all-girls [[Independent school (UK)|independent]] [[boarding school]] in [[High Wycombe]] in [[Buckinghamshire]].<ref name="burke"/> This was followed by a year at the [[University of Lausanne]].<ref name=Anglican>"Why I am Still an Anglican", ''Continuum 2006'', p. 48</ref> She passed the bar without a university degree.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/nov/12/childrensservices.uknews|title=The Guardian profile: Elizabeth Butler-Sloss|first=Clare|last=Dyer|date=11 November 2004|access-date=23 June 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
Butler-Sloss was born on 10 August 1933 to [[Cecil Havers|Sir Cecil Havers]], a barrister (later a judge), and Enid Flo Havers (''née'' Snelling). She was sister to [[Michael Havers, Baron Havers|The Lord Havers]], a Conservative [[Lord Chancellor]], and is aunt to his sons, the actor [[Nigel Havers]] and the barrister [[Philip Havers, KC]]. She was educated at Broomfield House School in [[Kew]], in West London, and [[Wycombe Abbey School]], an all-girls [[Independent school (UK)|independent]] [[boarding school]] in [[High Wycombe]] in [[Buckinghamshire]].<ref name="burke"/> This was followed by a year at the [[University of Lausanne]].<ref name=Anglican>"Why I am Still an Anglican", ''Continuum 2006'', p. 48</ref> She passed the bar without a university degree.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/nov/12/childrensservices.uknews|title=The Guardian profile: Elizabeth Butler-Sloss|first=Clare|last=Dyer|date=11 November 2004|access-date=23 June 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>


She stood as the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate for [[Vauxhall (London County Council constituency)|Vauxhall]] in the [[1958 London County Council election]], and [[Vauxhall (UK Parliament constituency)|the equivalent constituency]] in the [[1959 United Kingdom general election|1959 general election]], where she won 38% of the vote, but was defeated by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[George Strauss]].
Butler-Sloss stood as the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate for [[Vauxhall (London County Council constituency)|Vauxhall]] in the [[1958 London County Council election]], and [[Vauxhall (UK Parliament constituency)|the equivalent constituency]] in the [[1959 United Kingdom general election|1959 general election]], where she won 38% of the vote, but was defeated by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[George Strauss]].


==Career==
==Career==
===Legal career===
===Legal career===
She was [[called to the Bar]] from the [[Inner Temple]] in February 1955.<ref name="WW 20">{{cite web |title=Butler-Sloss, Baroness, (Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss) (born 10 Aug. 1933) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U9697 |website=[[Who's Who 2020]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=29 June 2023 |language=en |date=1 December 2019}}</ref> In 1970 she was appointed a Registrar of the Principal Probate Registry (the predecessor to the Principal Registry of the [[Family Division]]).<ref>[https://financialremediesjournal.com/content/the-origin-history-and-present-status-of-the-principal-registry-of-the-family-division.ef1ae563995440d4b5aa3479c772136b.htm "The Origin, History and Present Status of the Principal Registry of the Family Division"] by Sir James Munby and Sir Nicholas Mostyn, ''Financial Remedies Journal'', 1 July 2024. (Retrieved 30 December 2024.)</ref> In 1979, she became the fourth woman to be appointed a High Court judge,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=47968|page=12354|date=2 October 1979}}</ref> after [[Elizabeth Lane]], [[Rose Heilbron]], and [[Margaret Booth (judge)|Margaret Booth]]. As were all previous female High Court judges, she was assigned to the [[Family Division]]. As per tradition, she was also made a [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=51202|page=599|date=18 January 1980}}</ref>
Butler-Sloss was [[called to the Bar]] from the [[Inner Temple]] in February 1955.<ref name="WW 20">{{cite web |title=Butler-Sloss, Baroness, (Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss) (born 10 Aug. 1933) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U9697 |website=[[Who's Who 2020]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=29 June 2023 |language=en |date=1 December 2019}}</ref> In 1970 she was appointed a Registrar of the Principal Probate Registry (the predecessor to the Principal Registry of the [[Family Division]]).<ref>[https://financialremediesjournal.com/content/the-origin-history-and-present-status-of-the-principal-registry-of-the-family-division.ef1ae563995440d4b5aa3479c772136b.htm "The Origin, History and Present Status of the Principal Registry of the Family Division"] by Sir James Munby and Sir Nicholas Mostyn, ''Financial Remedies Journal'', 1 July 2024. (Retrieved 30 December 2024.)</ref> In 1979, she became the fourth woman to be appointed a High Court judge,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=47968|page=12354|date=2 October 1979}}</ref> after [[Elizabeth Lane]], [[Rose Heilbron]], and [[Margaret Booth (judge)|Margaret Booth]]. As were all previous female High Court judges, she was assigned to the [[Family Division]]. As per tradition, she was also made a [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=51202|page=599|date=18 January 1980}}</ref>


In 1988, she became the first woman appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (judge of the [[Court of Appeal (England and Wales)|Court of Appeal]]),<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48072|page=899|date=19 January 1988}}</ref> having chaired the [[Cleveland child abuse scandal|Cleveland child abuse inquiry]] in the previous year. In 1999, she became [[President of the Family Division]] of the [[High Court of Justice]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=55633 |page=10807|date=11 October 1999}}</ref> the first woman to hold this position and the highest-ranking woman judge in the United Kingdom until [[Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond|Brenda Hale]] became the first female [[Lord of Appeal in Ordinary]], in January 2004. She was known officially as "Lord Justice Butler-Sloss" until [[Thomas Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill|Bingham MR]] issued a [[practice direction]] in 1994 to refer to her informally as "Lady Justice Butler-Sloss";<ref>{{cite web |title=Mode Of Address: Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss |url=https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/Misc/1994/1.html |website=[[British and Irish Legal Information Institute|BAILII]] |publisher=Jordan Publishing Limited |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> the official title in s2(3) of the [[Senior Courts Act 1981]] was amended by the [[Courts Act 2003]].
In 1988, Butler-Sloss became the first woman appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (judge of the [[Court of Appeal (England and Wales)|Court of Appeal]]),<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48072|page=899|date=19 January 1988}}</ref> having chaired the [[Cleveland child abuse scandal|Cleveland child abuse inquiry]] in the previous year. In 1999, she became [[President of the Family Division]] of the [[High Court of Justice]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=55633 |page=10807|date=11 October 1999}}</ref> the first woman to hold this position and the highest-ranking woman judge in the United Kingdom until [[Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond|Brenda Hale]] became the first female [[Lord of Appeal in Ordinary]], in January 2004. She was known officially as "Lord Justice Butler-Sloss" until [[Thomas Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill|Bingham MR]] issued a [[practice direction]] in 1994 to refer to her informally as "Lady Justice Butler-Sloss";<ref>{{cite web |title=Mode Of Address: Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss |url=https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/Misc/1994/1.html |website=[[British and Irish Legal Information Institute|BAILII]] |publisher=Jordan Publishing Limited |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> the official title in s2(3) of the [[Senior Courts Act 1981]] was amended by the [[Courts Act 2003]].


She was advanced to the rank of [[Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (GBE) in the 2005 [[New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57509|supp=y |page=7|date=31 December 2004}}</ref> On 12 January 2005, it was announced that she was retiring, being replaced as President of the Family Division by [[Sir Mark Potter]], then a [[Lord Justice of Appeal]].
Butler-Sloss was advanced to the rank of [[Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (GBE) in the 2005 [[New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57509|supp=y |page=7|date=31 December 2004}}</ref> On 12 January 2005, it was announced that she was retiring, being replaced as President of the Family Division by [[Sir Mark Potter]], then a [[Lord Justice of Appeal]].


On 4 August 2006, she was appointed to the [[Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved]] for a period of five years.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58062 |page=10685|date=4 August 2006}}</ref>  
On 4 August 2006, Butler-Sloss was appointed to the [[Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved]] for a period of five years.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58062 |page=10685|date=4 August 2006}}</ref>  


On 7 September 2006, she was appointed as Deputy [[Coroner of the Queen's Household]] and Assistant Deputy Coroner for [[Surrey]] for the purpose of hearing the inquest into the death of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5307730.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Ex-judge tipped for Diana inquest|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=2 September 2006 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5322932.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Diana inquest to be held in 2007|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=7 September 2006 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6588369.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Diana inquest coroner steps down|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=24 April 2007 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref> On 2 March 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London for the purpose of transferring the jurisdiction of the inquest to Inner West London so that the proceedings may sit in the Royal Courts of Justice. On 24 April 2007, she announced she was stepping down in June 2007, saying she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury. The role of coroner for the inquests was transferred to [[Scott Baker (judge)|Lord Justice Scott Baker]]. This had been preceded by the overturning by the High Court of her earlier decision to hold the inquest without a jury.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2007/408.html|title=Paul & Ors v Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household & Anor [2007] EWHC 408 (Admin)}}</ref>
On 7 September 2006, Butler-Sloss was appointed as Deputy [[Coroner of the Queen's Household]] and Assistant Deputy Coroner for [[Surrey]] for the purpose of hearing the inquest into the death of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5307730.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Ex-judge tipped for Diana inquest|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=2 September 2006 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5322932.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Diana inquest to be held in 2007|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=7 September 2006 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6588369.stm|title=BBC NEWS – UK – Diana inquest coroner steps down|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=24 April 2007 |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref> On 2 March 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London for the purpose of transferring the jurisdiction of the inquest to Inner West London so that the proceedings may sit in the Royal Courts of Justice. On 24 April 2007, she announced she was stepping down in June 2007, saying she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury. The role of coroner for the inquests was transferred to [[Scott Baker (judge)|Lord Justice Scott Baker]]. This had been preceded by the overturning by the High Court of her earlier decision to hold the inquest without a jury.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2007/408.html|title=Paul & Ors v Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household & Anor [2007] EWHC 408 (Admin)}}</ref>


On 8 July 2014, it was announced that Baroness Butler-Sloss would chair [[Butler-Sloss Inquiry|the forthcoming large-scale inquiry]] into cases of child sex abuse in previous decades.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28203914|title=Ex-senior judge Butler-Sloss to head child sex abuse inquiry|date=8 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref> She stood down on 14 July after mounting pressure from victims' groups and MPs over her suitability regarding the fact that her brother was the [[Attorney General]] at the time of some of the abuses in question<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28291275|title=Butler-Sloss urged to stand aside|date=14 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28295282|title=Butler-Sloss stands down|date=14 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref> and her perceived unwillingness to include mention of former Anglican bishop [[Peter Ball (bishop)|Peter Ball]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Philipson |first=Alice |date=12 July 2014 |title=Baroness Butler-Sloss hid claims of bishop's sex abuse |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10963332/Baroness-Butler-Sloss-hid-claims-of-bishops-sex-abuse.html |access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref>
On 8 July 2014, it was announced that Butler-Sloss would chair [[Butler-Sloss Inquiry|the forthcoming large-scale inquiry]] into cases of child sex abuse in previous decades.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28203914|title=Ex-senior judge Butler-Sloss to head child sex abuse inquiry|date=8 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref> She stood down on 14 July after mounting pressure from victims' groups and MPs over her suitability regarding the fact that her brother was the [[Attorney General]] at the time of some of the abuses in question<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28291275|title=Butler-Sloss urged to stand aside|date=14 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28295282|title=Butler-Sloss stands down|date=14 July 2014|work=BBC News}}</ref> and her perceived unwillingness to include mention of former Anglican bishop [[Peter Ball (bishop)|Peter Ball]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Philipson |first=Alice |date=12 July 2014 |title=Baroness Butler-Sloss hid claims of bishop's sex abuse |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10963332/Baroness-Butler-Sloss-hid-claims-of-bishops-sex-abuse.html |access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref>


===House of Lords===
===House of Lords===
On 3 May 2006, it was announced by the [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]] that she would be one of seven new [[life peer]]s – so-called "people's peers".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57972|supp=y|page=6055|date=3 May 2006}}</ref> She was created '''Baroness Butler-Sloss''', of [[Marsh Green, Devon|Marsh Green]] in the County of Devon, on 13 June 2006.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58013 |page=8261|date=16 June 2006}}</ref> She sits in the [[House of Lords]] as a [[crossbencher]].<ref name="Lords career">{{cite web |title=Baroness Butler-Sloss: Parliamentary career |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3804/career |website=MPs and Lords |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref> She made her [[maiden speech]] on 21 November 2006 during the Debate on the Address on that year's [[Queen's Speech]].<ref name="maiden">{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Debate on the Address |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2006-11-21/debates/06112153000003/details#contribution-06112158000029 |house= House of Lords |date= 21 November 2006 |volume= 687 |column_start= 276 |column_end= 278 |speaker= Baroness Butler-Sloss |position=}}</ref>
On 3 May 2006, it was announced by the [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]] that Butler-Sloss would be one of seven new [[life peer]]s – so-called "people's peers".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57972|supp=y|page=6055|date=3 May 2006}}</ref> She was created '''Baroness Butler-Sloss''', of [[Marsh Green, Devon|Marsh Green]] in the County of Devon, on 13 June 2006.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58013 |page=8261|date=16 June 2006}}</ref> She sits in the [[House of Lords]] as a [[crossbencher]].<ref name="Lords career">{{cite web |title=Baroness Butler-Sloss: Parliamentary career |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3804/career |website=MPs and Lords |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref> She made her [[maiden speech]] on 21 November 2006 during the Debate on the Address on that year's [[Queen's Speech]].<ref name="maiden">{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Debate on the Address |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2006-11-21/debates/06112153000003/details#contribution-06112158000029 |house= House of Lords |date= 21 November 2006 |volume= 687 |column_start= 276 |column_end= 278 |speaker= Baroness Butler-Sloss |position=}}</ref>


Lady Butler-Sloss has been active in the House of Lords, and served as a member of a number of committees. She was formerly a member of the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee (2007–2012). She has been a member of the [[Ecclesiastical Committee]], a Joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since 2010 and has served as its chair since June 2020. She has been a member of the [[Procedure and Privileges Committee]], a [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|select committee]] of the House of Lords since January 2023.<ref name="Lords career"/>
Butler-Sloss has been active in the House of Lords, and served as a member of a number of committees. She was formerly a member of the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee (2007–2012). She has been a member of the [[Ecclesiastical Committee]], a Joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since 2010 and has served as its chair since June 2020. She has been a member of the [[Procedure and Privileges Committee]], a [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|select committee]] of the House of Lords since January 2023.<ref name="Lords career"/>


===Other work===
===Other work===
She became [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[University of the West of England]] in 1993, and an [[honorary fellow]] of [[St Hilda's College, Oxford]], [[Peterhouse, Cambridge]], [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]], [[King's College London]], the [[Royal College of Physicians]], the [[Royal College of Psychiatrists]] and the [[Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health]]. She sits on the Selection Panel for [[King's Counsel]]. In December 2004 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the [[University of Bath]], and in June 2005 she was awarded an [[honorary degree]] from the [[Open University]] as Doctor of the University. She was Chairman of the [[Security Commission]] prior to its abolition in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Experience for Baroness Butler-Sloss – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3804/experience|access-date=13 October 2020|website=members.parliament.uk|language=en}}</ref>
Butler-Sloss became [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[University of the West of England]] in 1993 and an [[honorary fellow]] of [[St Hilda's College, Oxford]], [[Peterhouse, Cambridge]], [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]], [[King's College London]], the [[Royal College of Physicians]], the [[Royal College of Psychiatrists]] and the [[Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health]]. She sits on the Selection Panel for [[King's Counsel]]. In December 2004 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the [[University of Bath]] and in June 2005 she was awarded an [[honorary degree]] from the [[Open University]] as Doctor of the University. She was Chairman of the [[Security Commission]] prior to its abolition in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Experience for Baroness Butler-Sloss – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/3804/experience|access-date=13 October 2020|website=members.parliament.uk|language=en}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
She married her husband, Joseph William Alexander Butler-Sloss, in 1958. They have three children and two grandchildren.
Butler-Sloss married her husband, Joseph William Alexander Butler-Sloss, in 1958. They marriage produced three children.


Baroness Butler-Sloss is a church-going [[Anglican]]. In 2002, she chaired the Crown Appointments Committee charged with the selection of a new [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. She was Chairman of the Advisory Council of [[St Paul's Cathedral]] from 2000 to 2009<ref name=Anglican/> and currently serves as Chair for the [[Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corab.org.uk/background-information|title=Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life|access-date=23 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025043339/http://www.corab.org.uk/background-information|archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref> {{asof|2015}}, she lives in [[East Devon]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Express & Echo]]|date=18 August 2015|url=http://exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Lympstone-child-rapist-guilty-despite-Butler/story-27630575-detail/story.html|title=Lympstone child rapist found guilty despite Butler-Sloss support|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819124713/http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Lympstone-child-rapist-guilty-despite-Butler/story-27630575-detail/story.html|archive-date=19 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Butler-Sloss is a church-going [[Anglican]]. In 2002, she chaired the Crown Appointments Committee charged with the selection of a new [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. She was Chairman of the Advisory Council of [[St Paul's Cathedral]] from 2000 to 2009<ref name=Anglican/> and currently serves as Chair for the [[Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corab.org.uk/background-information|title=Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life|access-date=23 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025043339/http://www.corab.org.uk/background-information|archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref> {{asof|2015}}, she lives in [[East Devon]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Express & Echo]]|date=18 August 2015|url=http://exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Lympstone-child-rapist-guilty-despite-Butler/story-27630575-detail/story.html|title=Lympstone child rapist found guilty despite Butler-Sloss support|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819124713/http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Lympstone-child-rapist-guilty-despite-Butler/story-27630575-detail/story.html|archive-date=19 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Notable judgments==
==Notable judgments==
* Joyce v Sengupta and Another: CA 31 Jul [1992] – Newspaper can be sued for malicious falsehood
*Joyce v Sengupta and Another: CA 31 Jul [1992] – Newspaper can be sued for malicious falsehood
*''Re T (Consent to Medical Treatment)(Adult Patient)'' [1993] Fam. 95
*''Re T (Consent to Medical Treatment)(Adult Patient)'' [1993] Fam. 95
*[https://deedpolloffice.com/change-name/children/case-law/Re-W-Re-A-Re-B-Change-of-Name-1999-EWCA-Civ-2030 ''Re'' W, ''Re'' A, ''Re'' B (Change of Name) <nowiki>[1999]</nowiki> EWCA Civ 2030]
*[https://deedpolloffice.com/change-name/children/case-law/Re-W-Re-A-Re-B-Change-of-Name-1999-EWCA-Civ-2030 ''Re'' W, ''Re'' A, ''Re'' B (Change of Name) <nowiki>[1999]</nowiki> EWCA Civ 2030]
Line 85: Line 85:


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Ms B v An NHS Hospital Trust]]
*[[Ms B v An NHS Hospital Trust]]


Revision as of 20:19, 27 June 2025

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Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, (née Havers; born 10 August 1933) is a retired English judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom until 2004, when Baroness Hale was appointed to the House of Lords. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker.

Early life

Butler-Sloss was born on 10 August 1933 to Sir Cecil Havers, a barrister (later a judge), and Enid Flo Havers (née Snelling). She was sister to The Lord Havers, a Conservative Lord Chancellor, and is aunt to his sons, the actor Nigel Havers and the barrister Philip Havers, KC. She was educated at Broomfield House School in Kew, in West London, and Wycombe Abbey School, an all-girls independent boarding school in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.[1] This was followed by a year at the University of Lausanne.[2] She passed the bar without a university degree.[3]

Butler-Sloss stood as the Conservative candidate for Vauxhall in the 1958 London County Council election, and the equivalent constituency in the 1959 general election, where she won 38% of the vote, but was defeated by the Labour MP George Strauss.

Career

Legal career

Butler-Sloss was called to the Bar from the Inner Temple in February 1955.[4] In 1970 she was appointed a Registrar of the Principal Probate Registry (the predecessor to the Principal Registry of the Family Division).[5] In 1979, she became the fourth woman to be appointed a High Court judge,[6] after Elizabeth Lane, Rose Heilbron, and Margaret Booth. As were all previous female High Court judges, she was assigned to the Family Division. As per tradition, she was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).[7]

In 1988, Butler-Sloss became the first woman appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (judge of the Court of Appeal),[8] having chaired the Cleveland child abuse inquiry in the previous year. In 1999, she became President of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice,[9] the first woman to hold this position and the highest-ranking woman judge in the United Kingdom until Brenda Hale became the first female Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, in January 2004. She was known officially as "Lord Justice Butler-Sloss" until Bingham MR issued a practice direction in 1994 to refer to her informally as "Lady Justice Butler-Sloss";[10] the official title in s2(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 was amended by the Courts Act 2003.

Butler-Sloss was advanced to the rank of Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours.[11] On 12 January 2005, it was announced that she was retiring, being replaced as President of the Family Division by Sir Mark Potter, then a Lord Justice of Appeal.

On 4 August 2006, Butler-Sloss was appointed to the Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved for a period of five years.[12]

On 7 September 2006, Butler-Sloss was appointed as Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household and Assistant Deputy Coroner for Surrey for the purpose of hearing the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.[13][14][15] On 2 March 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London for the purpose of transferring the jurisdiction of the inquest to Inner West London so that the proceedings may sit in the Royal Courts of Justice. On 24 April 2007, she announced she was stepping down in June 2007, saying she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury. The role of coroner for the inquests was transferred to Lord Justice Scott Baker. This had been preceded by the overturning by the High Court of her earlier decision to hold the inquest without a jury.[16]

On 8 July 2014, it was announced that Butler-Sloss would chair the forthcoming large-scale inquiry into cases of child sex abuse in previous decades.[17] She stood down on 14 July after mounting pressure from victims' groups and MPs over her suitability regarding the fact that her brother was the Attorney General at the time of some of the abuses in question[18][19] and her perceived unwillingness to include mention of former Anglican bishop Peter Ball.[20]

House of Lords

On 3 May 2006, it was announced by the House of Lords Appointments Commission that Butler-Sloss would be one of seven new life peers – so-called "people's peers".[21] She was created Baroness Butler-Sloss, of Marsh Green in the County of Devon, on 13 June 2006.[22] She sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher.[23] She made her maiden speech on 21 November 2006 during the Debate on the Address on that year's Queen's Speech.[24]

Butler-Sloss has been active in the House of Lords, and served as a member of a number of committees. She was formerly a member of the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee (2007–2012). She has been a member of the Ecclesiastical Committee, a Joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since 2010 and has served as its chair since June 2020. She has been a member of the Procedure and Privileges Committee, a select committee of the House of Lords since January 2023.[23]

Other work

Butler-Sloss became Chancellor of the University of the West of England in 1993 and an honorary fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, Peterhouse, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, King's College London, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She sits on the Selection Panel for King's Counsel. In December 2004 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Bath and in June 2005 she was awarded an honorary degree from the Open University as Doctor of the University. She was Chairman of the Security Commission prior to its abolition in 2010.[25]

Personal life

Butler-Sloss married her husband, Joseph William Alexander Butler-Sloss, in 1958. They marriage produced three children.

Butler-Sloss is a church-going Anglican. In 2002, she chaired the Crown Appointments Committee charged with the selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. She was Chairman of the Advisory Council of St Paul's Cathedral from 2000 to 2009[2] and currently serves as Chair for the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life.[26] since 2015Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., she lives in East Devon.[27]

Notable judgments

Arms

Template:Infobox COA wide Baroness Butler-Sloss' arms are a version of the arms borne by her brother, Michael Havers, Baron Havers.

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  2. ↑ a b "Why I am Still an Anglican", Continuum 2006, p. 48
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ "The Origin, History and Present Status of the Principal Registry of the Family Division" by Sir James Munby and Sir Nicholas Mostyn, Financial Remedies Journal, 1 July 2024. (Retrieved 30 December 2024.)
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:S-academic
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Chancellor of the University of the West of England
1993–2011 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check President of the Family Division
1999–2005 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

Template:UKParliamentCommitteeChairs Template:Authority control

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