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Black Judge’s Security Search Revelations Spur Calls to Overhaul UK Judiciary

Her testimony has highlighted systemic bias in court procedures, calling for transparent judicial recruitment.

Cordella Bart-Stewart is on the steering committee of the UK Association of Black Judges
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Overview

  • Cordella Bart-Stewart reports being regularly searched by security staff at Birmingham’s court centre despite official exemptions for judges.
  • She describes micro-aggressions in the courtroom, including advocates assuming her clerk is the judge and a colleague questioning Jamaicans’ genetic predisposition to violence.
  • Ministry of Justice figures show black judges account for just 1.3% of court appointments and 1.7% of tribunal members, a share threatened by ongoing retirements.
  • Earlier this month she helped launch the UK Association of Black Judges to support current black judges and encourage qualified black lawyers to seek judicial roles.
  • Bart-Stewart has urged a revamp of the Judicial Appointments Commission, proposing the removal of serving judges from selection panels and the use of artificial intelligence to curb subjective bias.