{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-20.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/39",
  "legislation_title": "Courts Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003",
  "path": "section/20",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Rules",
  "text": "(1) In sections 10, 17, 18 and 19 “rules” means rules made by the Lord Chief Justice .\n(2) Before making any rules for the purposes of section 10, 17, 18 or 19 the Lord Chief Justice must consult—\n(za) the Lord Chancellor,\n(a) the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee,and\n(b) the Family Procedure Rule Committee, ...\n(c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(3) The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions of making the rules referred to in this section.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 20(1) substituted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 321(2); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 20(2) substituted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 321(3)(a); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 20(2)(za) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 321(3)(b); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Word in s. 20(2)(a) inserted (18.9.2012) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of Crown Court Rule Committee and Magistrates Courts Rule Committee) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2398), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 5(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 20(2)(c) and word repealed (18.9.2012) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of Crown Court Rule Committee and Magistrates Courts Rule Committee) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2398), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 5(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 20(3) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 321(4); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:17:53.122162+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}