The British House of Lords Issues Its Last Decision -- The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Opens for Business in October 2009.

The House of Lords decided its final case last week, bringing an end more than 600 years of British legal history.  The House of Lords has served as both part of the legislative branch (parliament) and as the highest judicial body.  (Knowing that the one body has served as both legislator and judge gives a better appreciation to the why the separation of powers was so important in the United States.)  Starting in October, the United Kingdom will have a Supreme Court that is separate from the House of Lords.  The new court comes as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005.  Click here to read more about the last case of the House of Lords on Law.com.  The United Kingdom Supreme Court will sit in Middlesex Guildhall, a building located in Parliament Square in London.  The move away from the Houses of Parliament is meant to reinforce the public perception that the new judicial body will be independent. Click here to read more from the U.K. Ministry of Justice about the new United Kingdom Supreme Court.

(mew)