James Arthur David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead KT, QC, PC, FRSE (born 27 June 1938) is a retired Scottish judge and life peer. He served at the highest levels of both the Scottish and United Kingdom courts and was the inaugural Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2009 until his retirement in 2013. A concise overview of his work and public roles is available in his official profile.

Career

Lord Hope built a long judicial career in Scotland before moving to the UK-wide appellate bench. He held the principal judicial office in Scotland as head of the Court of Session and the criminal bench, and later became one of the United Kingdom's Law Lords. When the judicial functions of the House of Lords were transferred to the newly created Supreme Court in 2009, he became its first Deputy President, helping to establish the court's early practices and institutional identity. A summary of his judicial appointments and judgments can be consulted via public records and legal summaries (see source).

Positions and functions

  • Head of Scotland's judiciary (senior judicial office in Scotland)
  • Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (Law Lord) on the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords
  • Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–2013)
  • Convenor of the Crossbench peers in the House of Lords (from 2015)

As Convenor, Lord Hope coordinates non-party peers, facilitating their business in the upper chamber and representing their collective interests in administrative discussions. His peerage and public duties are described in parliamentary materials (House of Lords information).

Throughout his judicial tenure Lord Hope was widely regarded for clear, careful opinions and for experience in both Scots and wider UK law. His role during the Supreme Court's foundation was particularly notable because it required translating centuries of appellate practice into a distinct judicial institution separate from the legislature. His judgments and public speeches have contributed to debates on judicial independence, devolution and the relationship between Scotland's legal system and the rest of the United Kingdom.

After formal retirement from active judicial office in 2013, he remained engaged in public life through the House of Lords and by supporting legal education and charitable causes. Observers of UK government and courts often cite his career as an example of the judiciary's evolving role in a modern constitutional framework.