What is the supreme court?

The UK Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases across the UK. It also hears criminal appeals from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It decides cases of the greatest public or legal importance. It has 12 justices and sits in Parliament Square, London. It opened in 2009.

Before 2009 the top court was a committee of the House of Lords, called the Law Lords. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 created a separate Supreme Court to make the split between judges and lawmakers clearer. The court hears appeals, not new trials. It usually sits in panels of five, seven or nine justices. It also rules on disputes about devolved powers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK has no single written constitution, so courts cannot strike down Acts of Parliament. But the Supreme Court can rule that ministers have acted unlawfully. In 2019 it ruled that the suspension, or prorogation, of Parliament was unlawful. Scottish criminal appeals end at the High Court of Justiciary. Its hearings are usually filmed and streamed online.