William Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk
Encyclopedia
William Douglas Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, (born 18 November 1935) is one of the senior members of the Scottish judiciary. He formerly served as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session
, and was an additional Lord of Appeal in the House of Lords
prior to the transfer of its judicial functions
to the Supreme Court
.
and the universities of St Andrews
and Edinburgh
. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
in 1960 and was Standing Junior Counsel to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
from 1970 to 1973. He was appointed Queen's Counsel
in 1973 and served as an Advocate Depute from 1978 to 1981.
, a judge of the High Court of Justiciary
and Court of Session
, as Lord Cullen. From 1988 to 1990 he conducted the Public Inquiry
into the Piper Alpha
disaster and in 1996 he chaired the Public Inquiry into the shootings at Dunblane Primary School
. In October 1999 he was appointed to chair the Ladbroke Grove Rail Inquiry. He was Lord Justice Clerk
and President of the Second Division of the Inner House
from 1997 to 2001, when he was appointed Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session
.
In March 2002, Lord Cullen led the 5-judge tribunal at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
which heard the failed appeal of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi against his conviction for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
.
On 15 July 2005, Lord Cullen announced his intention to retire in November 2005. On 24 November the Scottish Executive
announced that Arthur Hamilton, Lord Hamilton
, a member of the Inner House
of the Court of Session
, would succeed him as the new Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session.
, as Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, of Whitekirk in East Lothian. He sits as a crossbench member of the House of Lords
, and was one of five additional Lords of Appeal in the House of Lords
. On 25 June 2005, he was elected President of the Saltire Society
, replacing The Right Honourable The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, K.T.
On 30 November 2007 it was announced that Lord Cullen would be appointed a Knight of the Thistle. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Edinburgh
on 2 July 2008. On the 4th September 2009 he was also formally installed as chancellor of the University of Abertay Dundee
.
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
, and was an additional Lord of Appeal in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
prior to the transfer of its judicial functions
Judicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the supreme court in all matters under English law, Northern Ireland law and Scottish civil law. It is the court of last resort and highest appellate court in the United Kingdom; however the High Court of Justiciary remains the supreme court for criminal...
.
Early life
William Douglas Cullen was educated at the High School of DundeeHigh School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
and the universities of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
and Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
in 1960 and was Standing Junior Counsel to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value added tax , Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and...
from 1970 to 1973. He was appointed Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1973 and served as an Advocate Depute from 1978 to 1981.
Judicial career
Lord Cullen was a Chairman of the Medical Appeal Tribunals from 1977 until his appointment as a judge in 1986. He was appointed a Senator of the College of JusticeSenator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a judge of the High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
and Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
, as Lord Cullen. From 1988 to 1990 he conducted the Public Inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into the Piper Alpha
Piper Alpha
Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum Ltd. The platform began production in 1976, first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production. An explosion and resulting fire destroyed it on 6 July 1988, killing 167 men, with only 61...
disaster and in 1996 he chaired the Public Inquiry into the shootings at Dunblane Primary School
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. Sixteen children and one adult were killed by Thomas Hamilton before he committed suicide.-Timeline of events:...
. In October 1999 he was appointed to chair the Ladbroke Grove Rail Inquiry. He was Lord Justice Clerk
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
and President of the Second Division of the Inner House
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance...
from 1997 to 2001, when he was appointed Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
.
In March 2002, Lord Cullen led the 5-judge tribunal at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
Scottish Court in the Netherlands
The Scottish court in the Netherlands was the special High Court of Justiciary set up under Scots law in a former United States Air Force base called Camp Zeist in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, for the trial of two Libyans charged with 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing of Pan Am...
which heard the failed appeal of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi against his conviction for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
.
On 15 July 2005, Lord Cullen announced his intention to retire in November 2005. On 24 November the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
announced that Arthur Hamilton, Lord Hamilton
Arthur Hamilton, Lord Hamilton
Arthur Campbell Hamilton, Lord Hamilton, PC , is Scotland's most senior judge. He was chosen as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session in November 2005, succeeding Lord Cullen.-Early life:...
, a member of the Inner House
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance...
of the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
, would succeed him as the new Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session.
Honours
In 2003, Cullen was created a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, as Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, of Whitekirk in East Lothian. He sits as a crossbench member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, and was one of five additional Lords of Appeal in the House of Lords
Judicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
. On 25 June 2005, he was elected President of the Saltire Society
Saltire Society
The Saltire Society was established in 1936 to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland and restore the country to its proper place as a creative force in European civilisation....
, replacing The Right Honourable The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, K.T.
Stewart Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood
Stewart Ross Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood, is a British academic and public servant and one of the UK's most distinguished philosophers of religion.He was educated at Robert Gordon's College...
On 30 November 2007 it was announced that Lord Cullen would be appointed a Knight of the Thistle. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 2 July 2008. On the 4th September 2009 he was also formally installed as chancellor of the University of Abertay Dundee
University of Abertay Dundee
The University of Abertay Dundee, usually known simply as Abertay University, is a modern university in Dundee, Scotland.- History :The University of Abertay Dundee was created in 1994, under government legislation granting the title University to the Dundee Institute of Technology...
.
External links
- Lord Cullen reads the verdict in the Lockerbie appeal, 14 March 2002 (RealVideo clip)