Judicature Act of 1873

Judicature Act of 1873, in England, the act of Parliament that created the Supreme Court of Judicature (q.v.) and also, inter alia, enhanced the role of the House of Lords to act as a court of appeal. Essentially, the act was a first modern attempt to reduce the clutter—and the consequent inefficiency—of courts that had specific powers of jurisdiction throughout England and Wales.

Originally, the Judicature Act of 1873 brought together several tribunals and created the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice, the latter having five divisions. These divisions were: (1) Queen’s (or King’s) Bench, (2) Chancery Division, (3) Common Pleas Division, (4) Exchequer Division, and (5) Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division. In 1881 an Order in Council incorporated the functions of Common Pleas and Exchequer into Queen’s Bench.

The act of 1873 denied the status of the House of Lords as the final court of appeal. However, this status was restored in 1875. It also set in motion the proceedings that would evolve into the act of 1876 providing for the installation, in the House of Lords, of the law lords, members of the body who are also capable lawyers, judges, and legal scholars.

Many legal historians today point to the act of 1873 as the first step toward the modernization of the courts of England and Wales. The Courts Act of 1971 continued the modernization with the abolition of quarter sessions and assizes.