The Court of Appeal (EWCA) | |
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Established | 1 November 1875[1] |
Jurisdiction | England and Wales |
Location | Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, City of Westminster, London, UK |
Authorized by |
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Appeals to | Supreme Court of the United Kingdom |
Appeals from | |
Website | https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/ |
Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales | |
Currently | The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill |
Since | 1 October 2023 |
Lead position ends | 1 September 2039 |
Jurist term ends | 1 September 2039 |
Master of the Rolls | |
Currently | Sir Geoffrey Vos |
Since | 11 January 2021 |
Jurist term ends | 22 April 2030 |
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
Law of England and Wales |
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The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England",[2] commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.[3] The Court of Appeal was created in 1875,[4] and today comprises 39 Lord Justices of Appeal and Lady Justices of Appeal.[4]
The court has two divisions, Criminal and Civil, led by the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls respectively. Criminal appeals are heard in the Criminal Division, and civil appeals in the Civil Division. The Criminal Division hears appeals from the Crown Court, while the Civil Division hears appeals from the County Court, High Court of Justice and Family Court. Permission to appeal is normally required from either the lower court or the Court of Appeal itself; and with permission, further appeal may lie to the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal deals only with appeals from other courts or tribunals. The Court of Appeal consists of two divisions: the Civil Division hears appeals from the High Court and the County Court and certain superior tribunals, while the Criminal Division may only hear appeals from the Crown Court connected with a trial on indictment (i.e., for a serious offence). Its decisions are binding on all courts, including itself, apart from the Supreme Court.