Lord Justice Wilson, a family law specialist, was called to the Bar in 1967 and took Silk in 1987. He was appointed to the High Court (Family Division) in 1993 and to the Court of Appeal in 2005 and was due to take up his new role on 26 May.

Jonathon Sumption QC was called to the Bar in 1975 and took Silk in 1986. He was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 1992, served as a Recorder between 1993 and 2001, and was appointed as a Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey in 1995. He has also published three volumes on medieval history. A start date is yet to be agreed for Sumption, who has existing professional commitments and is the first practitioner to be appointed directly to the highest court in the land.

The appointments follow the retirement of Lord Saville and the imminent retirement of Lord Collins. Lord Phillips, President of the Supreme Court, said that Lord Justice Wilson  would prove a “valuable asset to this court as another judge with a family law background”, while Sumption had demonstrated “incisive intellectual rigour throughout his years as a barrister”.