{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senior-courts-act-1981/section-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senior-courts-act-1981/section-4.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1981/54",
  "legislation_title": "Senior Courts Act 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senior-courts-act-1981",
  "path": "section/4",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "The High Court.",
  "text": "(1) The High Court shall consist of—\n(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(b) the Lord Chief Justice;\n(ba) the President of the Queen's Bench Division;\n(c) the President of the Family Division;\n(d) the President of the Business and Property Division;\n(dd) the Senior Presiding Judge\n(ddd) the vice-president of the Queen’s Bench Division; and\n(e) the puisne judges of that court, of whom the maximum full-time equivalent number is 108.\n(2) The puisne judges of the High Court shall be styled “Justices of the High Court”.\n(3) All the judges of the High Court shall, except where this Act expressly provides otherwise, have in all respects equal power, authority and jurisdiction.\n(4) Her Majesty may by Order in Council from time to time amend subsection (1) so as to increase or further increase the maximum full-time equivalent number of puisne judges of the High Court.\n(4A) It is for the Lord Chancellor to recommend to Her Majesty the making of an Order under subsection (4).\n(5) No recommendation shall be made to Her Majesty in Council to make an Order under subsection (4) unless a draft of the Order has been laid before Parliament and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.\n(6) The High Court shall be taken to be duly constituted notwithstanding any vacancy in the office of . . . Lord Chief Justice, President of the Queen's Bench Division, President of the Family Division, President of the Business and Property Division or Senior Presiding Judge and whether or not an appointment has been made to the office of vice-president of the Queen’s Bench Division..\n(7) For the purposes of this section the full-time equivalent number of puisne judges is to be calculated by taking the number of full-time puisne judges and adding, for each puisne judge who is not a full-time puisne judge, such fraction as is reasonable.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 4(1)(a) repealed (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15, 146, 148, Sch. 4 para. 117(2)(a), Sch. 18 Pt. 2; S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 paras. 11(h), 30(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 4(1)(ba)-(d) substituted (1.10.2005) for s. 4(1)(c)(d) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15, 148, Sch. 4 para. 117(2)(b); S.I. 2005/2505, art. 2(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(1)(d) substituted (1.10.2026) by The Senior Courts (Transfer, Amendment and Consequential Provision) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/723), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 12(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 4(1)(dd) inserted by Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41, SIF 37), s. 72(6)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 4(1)(ddd) inserted (27.9.1999) by 1999 c. 22, ss. 69(2)(a), 108(3)(b) (with Sch. 14 para. 7(2))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 4(1)(e) substituted (15.7.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 13 para. 14(2); S.I. 2013/1725, art. 2(g)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(4) substituted (15.7.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 13 para. 14(3); S.I. 2013/1725, art. 2(g)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 4(4A) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15, 148, Sch. 4 para. 117(3); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(h)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(6) repealed (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15, 146, 148, Sch. 4 para. 117(4)(a), Sch. 18 Pt. 2; S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 paras. 11(h), 30(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(6) substituted (1.10.2005) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15, 148, Sch. 4 para. 117(4)(b); S.I. 2005/2505, art. 2(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(6) substituted (1.10.2026) by The Senior Courts (Transfer, Amendment and Consequential Provision) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/723), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 12(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Words substituted by Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41, SIF 37), s. 72(6)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(6) inserted (27.9.1999) by 1999 c. 22, ss. 69(2)(b), 108(3)(b) (with Sch. 14 para. 7(2))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "S. 4(7) inserted (15.7.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 13 para. 14(4); S.I. 2013/1725, art. 2(g)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Ss. 2(1), 4(1), 12(1)-(6) modified (9.11.1998) by 1998 c. 42, ss. 18(4)(a), 22(2) (with ss. 7(8), 22(5))S. 4(1) modified (27.9.1999) by 1999 c. 22, s. 68(3)(c), 108(3)(b) (with Sch. 14 para. 7(2))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/54/section/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:13:48.516361+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "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."
}