On Tuesday 21 April 2020, a special ceremony was held for the swearing in of Lord Leggatt as a new Justice of the UK Supreme Court.
As a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the format of the swearing-in ceremony was significantly modified to ensure that latest Government guidance on social distancing was observed. The ceremony was held in the library of the Supreme Court building rather than in Courtroom 1, in the presence of the President of the Supreme Court and a few members of staff, whilst the other Justices watched the ceremony remotely. In order to minimise the number of people in attendance, the ceremony was filmed using a smartphone so the video output looks and sounds different to the Court’s usual broadcasts. It has been interwoven with footage via WebEx – with some Justices joining with audio, and others with video.
Lord Leggatt’s wife also kindly helped Lord Leggatt into his new gown. This job is normally done by the Chief Executive but he was unable to do so on this occasion due to social distancing guidelines.
A ceremony of the usual kind will be held when circumstances allow, at which time Lord Leggatt can renew the oaths taken on 21 April.
