| Citation | Anthony Hughes is a former Justice of the Supreme Court. He is the principal judge who has worked alongside our Executive Director to establish the Royal Society’s programme in Science and the Law. He has given very extensive voluntary and expert service to the Society (equivalent to that of only the most active Fellows) and his election as an honorary fellow would be fitting recognition of his work in meeting the Society’s charitable purpose of the application of science for the benefit of humanity.
As a Judge Lord Hughes was very distinguished: he served first in the High Court, then in the Court of Appeal before being made one of the twelve Justices of the Supreme Court, the highest appellate court in the United Kingdom. During his time on the Supreme Court many very significant decisions were taken, for example, in R (British American Tobacco and others) v Secretary of State for Health that all cigarettes must come in standardised packaging and in the Public Prosecution Service v William Elliot, Robert McKee Lord Hughes gave a leading judgement clarifying important issues concerning the admissibility of forensic evidence, as well as a ground-breaking judgment on the legal definition of dishonesty in Ivey v Genting Casinos.
The programme in Science and the Law has three strands: judicial primers, seminars for judges and engagement with the NAS’s Committee on Science, Technology and Law (CSTL). Hughes has played the lead role on the judicial side in all three strands. The Executive Director comments that she could not have set up the programme so successfully without him.
Judicial primers are short, peer-reviewed publications which aim to assist the judiciary when handling scientific evidence in the courtroom. The first two primers, dealt with forensic DNA analysis and forensic gait analysis, and were launched in 2017. Many more have followed. Primers are jointly written by scientists and judges, and their production has been overseen by a steering group chaired by Hughes. His chairmanship has been essential in creating this unusual collaboration between scientists and judges. He has worked tirelessly to enrol participation from the judiciary and to ensure that each primer is wholly relevant for working judges.
The seminar programme is a series of evening talks and discussions for senior judges and scientists on topics relevant to court proceedings. Topics have included memory in testimony and human gene editing (a full list is appended).. Hughes has taken responsibility for finding the judges who take part. His leadership has been essential in creating this successful series, building a new forum for learned debate about how scientific findings feed into our courts.
The seminar programme has led to new links with the NAS’s CSTL. Hughes and others travelled to the US to speak about the Science and the Law programme and, in return, CSTL sent its co-chairs to London for seminars and discussions. Hughes has been a vital force in building this important axis of co-operation between the RS and the NAS.
In summary, Anthony Hughes has played a pivotal role in creating the Royal Society’s programme in Science and the Law and election to an Honorary Fellowship would be just recognition of his tireless work to support its establishment. He has amply demonstrated his willingness and ability to engage with Royal Society activities and forge novel links with the judiciary. Having him in Fellowship would allow the Society to continue to benefit from his passion and commitment to linking science and the law. |