The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

What the The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom does

The Supreme Court decides the questions of law that matter beyond the parties — the meaning of legislation, the development of the common law, human rights, and disputes about the powers of the devolved administrations. It cannot take a case unless a relevant order has been made in a lower court, and permission is required either from the court below or from the Supreme Court itself. There is no further appeal domestically from its decisions.

What it hears

• Civil appeals from every part of the United Kingdom
• Criminal appeals from England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Scottish civil appeals from the Court of Session
• Devolution issues and questions about devolved competence
• Points of law of general public importance, on permission

Before your first court date

Permission is the whole battle. An application must show an arguable point of law of general public importance, and must be made within the strict time limit after the order of the court below, normally 28 days. The court below may itself certify or grant permission in some categories. Specialist advice is effectively essential, and funding should be settled before filing given the costs at stake.

What happens at your first appearance

Permission applications are decided on the papers by a panel of Justices. If permission is granted the appeal is heard by a panel of five, or more in the most significant cases, argued entirely on the law and the record with no live evidence. Hearings are open to the public and streamed, and judgment is handed down later with written reasons from each Justice who wishes to give them.

What to prepare

• The order of the court below and its exact date
• The judgments at every level in the case
• A statement of the point of law said to be of general public importance
• Specialist advice on merits, permission prospects and costs

When to get legal advice

This page is general legal information, not legal advice. Supreme Court work is specialist appellate practice and is not a realistic route for a self-represented party. If your case is at an earlier stage, that is where advice does the most good. Legal Hotline's free line explains the process any hour on 0800 007 4103, and a one-hour consultation with a UK solicitor (£145, a fixed fee) can be booked right on the call.

Where it is

Official sources