Senator of the College of Justice
The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges who work in Scotland’s main courts. There are three types: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session), Lords Commissioners of Justiciary (judges of the High Court of Justiciary), and the Chair of the Scottish Land Court. The High Court and the Court of Session are now one court system, so the term senator mainly refers to these judges.
Senators typically use the judicial title Lord or Lady with a surname or territorial name. Some senators have a peerage title, which would be used instead of the senatorial title. All senators have The Honourable before their titles, and those who are privy counsellors or peers have The Right Honourable. Senators become privy counsellors when promoted to the Inner House, the senior part of the Court of Session.
Under the Treason Act 1708, it is treason to kill a senator while they are sitting in judgment in Scotland.
Henry Lauder, Lord St Germains, was one of the nine advocates at the creation of the College of Justice. Historically, some state officers were included as senators, such as the Lord Advocate, Lord Clerk Register, Master of Requests, and the Secretary of State.
The Court of Session Act 1988 limited the number of senators of the College of Justice (excluding the chair of the Scottish Land Court, who ranks as a senator) to 24. The number has since risen: 25 in 1991, 27 in 1993, 32 in 1999, 34 in 2004, 35 in 2016, and 36 in 2022.
The Lord President is the head of the First Division, and the Lord Justice Clerk is the head of the Second Division. The chair of the Scottish Land Court has the same rank and tenure as a Court of Session judge but does not count toward the maximum number of judges.
There are also some retired judges who occasionally sit to hear cases when needed due to a shortage of judges; they are also called senators of the College of Justice. As of 2025, one retired judge is available to sit.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:27 (CET).