The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom: A Selective Tribunal with the Final Say on Most Matters

Abstract

The decisions of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are binding on all lower civil and criminal courts in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, and on Scottish civil courts if the appeal emanates from Scotland. The Court decides fundamental questions concerning judge-made law (the ‘Common Law’) and questions arising from statute, including human rights legislation. The Court is not overwhelmed because it must give permission for a case to proceed to this final chamber. The main challenge facing the court is to write shorter judgments which are easier to apply.