Royal Warrant - For Letters Patent Appointing a High Court Justice of Northern Ireland [2025-04-11]

Royal Warrant - For Letters Patent Appointing a High Court Justice of Northern Ireland [2025-04-11]

Great Seal of Northern Ireland

Judicial Appointments

Royal Warrant of King Charles III directing the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to pass Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Northern Ireland appointing Paul McLaughlin as a Justice of the High Court of Northern Ireland.

King Charles III

FOI release

2025-04-11

Jason Loch

Northern Ireland

(Sgd.) Charles R

CHARLES THE THIRD by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories King Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith: To Our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor Hilary James Benn one of Our Principal Secretaries of State GREETING: WE WILL AND COMMAND that under the Great Seal of that part of Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland called Northern Ireland remaining in your custody you cause these Our Letters to be made forth Patent in form following:

CHARLES THE THIRD by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories King Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting Know Ye that We of Our especial grace have constituted and appointed and by these Presents Do constitute and appoint Our trusty and well beloved Paul Christopher McLaughlin Esquire one of Our Counsel learned in the Law to be a Judge of Our High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland To hold the same so long as he shall well behave himself therein with all rights privileges pre-eminences profits and emoluments due and of right belonging thereto Provided always and Our Will and Pleasure is that these Our Letters be enrolled in Our Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland within the six months next ensuing the date of these Our Presents In Witness &c. Witness &c.

BY HIS MAJESTY'S COMMAND



(Sgd.) Hilary Benn
(Sgd.) Shabana Mahmood

Hilary Benn (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland)
Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

Black and white Royal Arms at the top.

Royal name is capitalized and in boldface; first instance begins with a drop cap.

Appointee's name and office are in boldface.

Date clause has an unusual amount of handwriting. The calendar year is also omitted.

While other Northern Ireland Warrants are quite similar to their Westminster counterparts, this one is quite different from the Warrants for the appointment of High Court Justices in England and Wales (cf. this example). Most notably, there's no docket. It's also countersigned by both the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Lord Chancellor/Secretary of State for Justice. This kind of double countersignature is rare aside from Lords Commissioners of HM Treasury (who always countersign in pairs).