in England and Wales, the head of the Queen's (or King's) Bench Division of the High Court of Justice and next in rank to the lord chancellor. Appointed by the crown on the nomination of the prime minister, he usually presides over the Court of Criminal Appeal and is an ex officio member of the Court of Appeal. He is invariably raised to the peerage on appointment and so is able to take part in the appellate work of the House of Lords; and, although, like all other judges except the lord chancellor, he must not form public associations with any political party, the lord chief justice may intervene in debates on legal and judicial problems. His title derives from the Judicature Act of 1873.