This week’s event announcements include:

1. Fifty Years of ‘The Quartet’ and Modern Judicial Review, 18–19 May 2018
2. Second-guessing Policy Choices? The Rule of Law after the Supreme Court’s UNISON Judgment, 14 March 2018

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Fifty Years of ‘The Quartet’ and Modern Judicial Review

18–19 May 2018

The SLS Annual Seminar 2018 will be held at the University of Sussex, 18–19 May 2018. The focus of the seminar will be the four cases that make up the founding ‘quartet’ of modern administrative law: Ridge v Baldwin, Padfield v Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Anisminic v Foreign Compensation Commission, and Conway v Rimmer. These cases will provide the lens for the re-examination of the system of judicial review to which they gave rise. Further details of the event, including a list of confirmed speakers, can be found on The University of Sussex’s Website. A draft seminar programme has been published.

Open Call for Discussants

We are seeking eight discussants – two for each morning or afternoon session. Discussants will offer a short, critical comment on the papers of each session. If you wish to be considered as a discussant, please email to quartet50@sussex.ac.uk with a one paragraph statement of why you would like to take on this role attaching a CV.

Registration

In addition to the discussants, there are 15 open places available to anyone wishing to attend. Please e-mail quartet50@sussex.ac.uk to reserve a place. As there are limited places, these will be allocated on a strictly first-come, first-served basis.

There is no charge for this event. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

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Second-guessing Policy Choices?  The Rule of Law after the Supreme Court’s UNISON Judgment

The Supreme Court’s judgment in R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51 has been widely hailed as a victory for the rule of law in the face of an attack on access to justice.  In a new paper for Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project, Sir Stephen Laws (former First Parliamentary Counsel) challenges this narrative.  Sir Stephen argues that the judgment adopts a problematic conception of the rule of law – which wrongly encourages courts to wade into policy matters that are properly for Government and Parliament to decide.

Joining Sir Stephen to discuss the Supreme Court’s judgment and his critique will be Sir John Laws, former Lord Justice of Appeal; Lord Faulks QC, former Minister of State for Justice; and Professor Anne Davies, Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of Oxford.

To apply for a place please fill in the form here. You will receive an email if we are able to offer you a place.

Time and Date
Wednesday 14th March 2018

Registration | 12.45pm
Event start | 13.15pm
Event finish | 14.15pm

Venue
Policy Exchange
8-10 Great George Street
Westminster
London
SW1P 3AE