Judges: not even the government can interfere
Together, judges are called the judiciary. Their job is to interpret the law and make sure trials are fair, and the government cannot interfere with their work.
How much power do judges have?
- If someone claims the government has acted illegally, and the judges agree, the government must either change its policy or ask Parliament to change the law.
- If judges decide that a public body has not respected someone's legal rights, they can order it to change the way it acts, or to pay compensation, or both.
- Judges also settle disputes between people or organisations, for example about contracts, property, employment rights, or what happens after an accident.
One thing British judges never do is bang a gavel. The wooden hammer is a fixture of American TV dramas, but courts in England and Wales don't have them at all; the fact-checking charity Full Fact even wrote an article in 2014 to clear up the mistake. In British courts, the famous look is wigs and gowns.
Quiz
Which of the following statements is correct?
Judges are independent: the government cannot interfere with them. If judges find the government has acted illegally, the government can only change its policy or ask Parliament to change the law.