Tim Eicke has been officially sworn in as the new judge representing the UK at the European Court of Human Rights.
Eicke is a British barrister and Queen’s Counsel (an honour granted to some senior barristers). He has extensive experience in human rights, public and EU law, and has represented clients in the highest domestic and international courts and tribunals. This is his first judicial position.
He was elected to the position in June, replacing the UK’s previous judge Paul Mahoney, and on Monday he was sworn in at a ceremony in Strasbourg.
Left: Tim Eicke
He was one of three nominees shortlisted for the position by the UK justice secretary. The other two candidates – Jessica Simor QC and Murray Hunt – are also highly regarded experts in the field of human rights. When it came to the final stage, Tim was elected by an majority when the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) cast their vote.
Tim Eicke QC very good choice for #ECHR and a great contributor to student legal education @lincolnsinn https://t.co/986ESBEYu7
— Gregory Jones QC (@GregoryJonesQC) September 14, 2016
Unlike UK judges, judges at the European Court are elected; for more details about how the selection process works, see our post here. Each of the 47 member states has one judge representing them on the Court. And while the judge might be from a particular country, their judicial position means that they pledge to remain completely neutral when hearing cases brought to the Court. During Eicke’s swearing in ceremony, he made an oath to carry out his new role “honourably, independently and impartially.”
