A tribunal judge who did not hand down her judgment for more than 17 months has been issued with formal advice for misconduct. Lynn Griffin, who accepted responsibility for the delay, said she had been ‘required to fit the completion of the complex judgment around other work and her extensive judicial roles and responsibilities’.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said Griffin ‘also cited personal factors which had affected her ability to complete the judgment in a timely way’.
Griffin, who has an unblemished conduct record, holds a large number of ‘important extra roles’ within the judiciary which had an impact on her ability to deliver the judgment in a timely manner but, the JCIO said, this ‘did not excuse the length of the delay’.
The JCIO said it acted following a complaint from a member of the public about a ‘substantial delay’. It added: ‘The Guide to Judicial Conduct states that judicial office-holders are expected to display diligence and care in the discharge of judicial duties. The general threshold for when the time taken to complete a judgment may raise a question of misconduct is that the period since the conclusion of the hearing or trial exceeds three months.
‘Following an investigation…a nominated judge found that Judge Griffin has delayed handing down the judgment for over 17 months.’ The senior president of tribunals and lord chancellor agreed with the nominated judge’s recommendation to issue formal advice, the least severe sanction for judicial misconduct.
This year, three other judges have been issued with formal advice over judgment hand-down delays of between 15 and 18 months.
