Lindsay Burn (62 - 67) was appointed as a judge to the
circuit bench in June 2003 after thirty years in practice as a barrister at the
criminal Bar. The photo was taken at the Palace of Westminster just before judge
Burn was sworn in by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer Q.C. (who is also,
somewhat confusingly, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, a
department recently set up by the government to abolish the Lord Chancellor!). The new judge swears an oath of loyalty to the Queen and a judicial oath and is then presented by the Lord Chancellor with the warrant of appointment which has been signed by the Queen. Once appointed a circuit judge sits until the age of 70 unless removed before that date by the Lord Chancellor for "gross misconduct".Obviously one hopes to reach retirement age unmolested.
On appointment a judge is assigned to a particular court centre, in Judge Burn's case Inner London Crown Court in central London. This is a busy criminal court. A new judge is expected to start sitting in court the day after appointment so the slightly strange situation occurs whereby the day before appointment you are a Barrister appearing in front of a judge, and the day after you are the judge and everyone is terribly nice to you! A circuit judge tries all criminal cases from simple theft to murder and usually sits with a jury.