Top judge steps down
15 Jul 05
Lord Cullen is to retire as Lord
President
Lord Cullen of Whitekirk is to retire from office in November, after 19 years as a judge.
Lord Cullen (69), who chaired the public inquiries into the Dunblane Primary School shootings, Piper Alpha Disaster and Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash, is one of Scotland's best-known legal figures.
He was first appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice in 1986. He served as Lord Justice Clerk from 1997-2001 before being appointed to the office of Lord President of the Court of Session in November of that year.
The First Minister is now inviting expressions of interest in the position from suitably qualified candidates.
He has appointed a special panel to consider applications, meet the candidates and provide him with a report on the suitability of each person for this key appointment.
The panel will comprise two senior judicial figures and two lay people drawn from the membership of the Judicial Appointments Board. They are: The Right Hon The Lord Hope of Craighead, Sir David Edward QC, Sir Neil McIntosh (who will chair the panel) and Mrs Barbara Duffner.
Mr McConnell said that Lord Cullen has given "outstanding public service both in his role as a judge and as Chair of some of the most important public inquiries of recent times".
He added: "He has presided over a programme of modernisation of the High Court and the Court of Session which has already delivered some good results.
"It will be essential to find a successor to carry this initiative forward and I am asking the panel to focus on this key aspect in their deliberations."
The Prime Minister will make a recommendation to the Queen on who should replace Lord Cullen but he cannot put forward anyone who has not been nominated to him by the First Minister.