The Supreme Court Rules 2009

Interpretation

3.—(1) In these Rules—

“the Act” means the Constitutional Reform Act 2005;

“the Court” means the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom;

“Justice” means a judge of the Court and includes its President and Deputy President;

“the Registrar” means the Registrar of the Court;

“the Registry” means the Registry of the Court.

(2) In these Rules except where the context otherwise requires —

“appellant” means a person who files an application for permission to appeal or who files a notice of appeal;

“business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971(1), in England and Wales;

“certificate of service” means a certificate given under rule 6;

“counsel” includes any person with the right to be heard as an advocate at a full hearing before the Court;

“court below” means the court from which an appeal (or application for permission to appeal) is made to the Court;

“court officer” means the Registrar or a member of the court staff;

“devolution jurisdiction” means the jurisdiction transferred to the Court by section 40 of, and Schedule 9 to, the Act;

“electronic means” means CD ROMs, memory sticks, email, fax or other means of electronic communication of the contents of documents;

“filing” means filing in the Registry in accordance with rule 7 and related expressions have corresponding meanings;

“form” and the “appropriate form” have the meanings given by rule 4;

“panel of Justices” means a panel of at least three Justices;

“party” means an appellant, a respondent and a person who has been given permission to intervene under rule 26;

“the relevant officer” means—

(a)

in relation to proceedings in England and Wales, the Attorney General and, in relation to proceedings that particularly affect Wales, the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government,

(b)

in relation to proceedings in Scotland, the Advocate General for Scotland and the Lord Advocate; and

(c)

in relation to proceedings in Northern Ireland, the Advocate General for Northern Ireland and (when section 22 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 comes into force (2)) the Attorney General for Northern Ireland;

“requisite number of copies” means the number of copies which are to be provided under the relevant practice direction or as directed by the Court;

“respondent” includes a respondent to an application for permission to appeal and means—

(a)

a person other than the appellant who was a party to the proceedings in the court below and who is affected by the appeal; and

(b)

a person who is permitted by the Court to be a party to the appeal;

“service” and related expressions have the meanings given by rule 6;

“solicitor” includes any person authorised to provide legal services other than as counsel in connection with proceedings before the Court.

(3) References in these Rules to a practice direction means a practice direction issued by the President of the Court.

(4) References in these Rules or in any form to a party’s signing, filing or serving any document or taking any other procedural step include the signature, filing or service of that document or the taking of such other procedural step by the party’s solicitor.

(5) Where any of these Rules or any practice direction requires a document to be signed, that requirement shall be satisfied if the signature is printed by computer or other mechanical means.

(6) Where these Rules require or permit the Court to perform an act of a formal or administrative character, that act may be performed by a court officer.

(1)

1971 c. 80.

(2)

2002 c. 26.