Wigs get the chop from court

Wigs get the chop from court

1.10.2008

A CENTURIES-old tradition of wearing a white horse-hair wig in court ended for many British judges on Wednesday when a simpler new dress code came into force.

While judges in criminal cases will still wear them, those in civil and family hearings will appear bare-headed in court, wearing a new-style plain black robe, the government said.

After a long debate that divided the legal profession, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, head of the judiciary in England and Wales, finally ordered the changes in an attempt to modernise the courts.

Wigs have been an emblem of the British legal system since the 17th century when the fashion for wearing them in wider society filtered through to the courts.

For hundreds of years before the reign of Charles II, judges and lawyers were expected to come to court with short hair and a beard.

The decision to abandon wigs has dismayed traditionalists who argue that they give judges an air of authority and impartiality. The degree of anonymity that wigs provided could also protect them from angry members of the public.

John Mortimer, the barrister and author of the Rumpole of the Bailey books, opposed the changes.
"The idea`s ridiculous! A barrister without his wig would be like a doctor without a stethoscope," he wrote in a newspaper article when the changes were first proposed.

However, modernists argue that wigs are a hangover from the past that could intimidate people in court.

In a newspaper interview, Lord Phillips described wigs as an anachronism that gave the public a false impression of judges.

A Ministry of Justice survey last year found 70 per cent of court workers wanted to keep wigs, compared to 42 per cent of the public.

NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Share stories with friends in a click. Get your favourite NEWS.com.au content on your social networking profile.

Today`s Top Picks

Teen survives knife in skull
POLICE have released shocking X-ray images of a 16-year-old with a knife lodged in his head after a stabbing.

Font size: +-

Send this article:PrintEmail

Search for more stories on this topic on Newstext, our news archive service. Click here

Also in Europe

Video

<i>Taken Out</i> host`s dating tipsWatch this Video NOW!
Taken Out host`s dating tips

TAKEN Out host James Kerley on the type of bloke most likely to score with the ladies.

Latest videos

More Video

]

Advertisement

Tools
Share this article:

10/01/2008 Australian Holocaust denier arrested
AUSTRALIAN Holocaust revisionist Gerald Toben has beenb arrested at London`s Heathrow airport
10/01/2008 EU to watch Russia in Georgia
EUROPEAN Union monitors will begin deploying in Georgia today to monitor a ceasefire and oversee a Russian troop pull-back after the August war in the Caucasus state
10/01/2008 Ireland steps in to protect banks
IRELAND has stepped in to protect its banking sector from the global financial crisis, announcing a guarantee on all deposits and sending shares in Dublin surging back up after a record slump
10/01/2008 Embryo discovery could fight infertility
SCIENTISTS have identified why some embryos fail to implant in the womb, a discovery which could lead to new treatments for infertility
Obama figure hung from tree in racist stunt
Bad old days ... racist leaflets and photos are just the beginning when it comes to sickening racist stunts against US presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
Obama figure hung from tree in racist stunt   09/26/2008
01. 2009
Mo Tu Wd Th Fr Sa Su
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031


Google


Categories: News Headlines Business News Entertaiment News Hi-tech & Science Sport
Global: Americas Europe Africa Australia Asia Middle East