lord chief justice
, the head of the
judiciary
of
England
and Wales. The lord chief
justice
traditionally served as head of the Queen’s (or King’s) Bench Division of the
High Court of Justice
and as head of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal. Under a
constitutional
reform of 2005 that was effected in 2006, however, the lord chief justice assumed most of the judicial functions of the
lord chancellor
, as well as the new title of president of the
courts
of England and Wales. In that capacity, the lord chief justice is responsible for representing the views of the judiciary to
Parliament
and the government and for managing the affairs of the courts, including the training and deployment of judges and the allocation of work. Formerly appointed by the crown on the nomination of the
prime minister
, the lord chief justice is now appointed by a special panel of an independent Judicial Appointments
Commission
. His title derives from the
Judicature Act of 1873
.