Family Law

The Supreme Court Annual Report 2013-2014 reveals that permission to appeal was granted in four out of eight family applications between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014.

During this period, a total of 51 appeals were heard and 32 judgments given, including five family decisions:

• Re B (Care Proceedings: Appeal) [2013] UKSC 33, [2013] 2 FLR 1075
• Re A (Jurisdiction: Return of Child) [2013] UKSC 60, [2014] 1 FLR 111
• Re KL (Abduction: Habitual Residence: Inherent Jurisdiction) [2013] UKSC 75, [2014] 1 FLR 772
• Re LC (Reunite: International Child Abduction Centre Intervening) [2014] UKSC 1, [2014] 1 FLR 1486
• Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd and Others [2013] UKSC 34, [2013] 2 FLR 732
  

Further cases that attracted considerable public interest owing to their impact on wider society include: P v Cheshire West and Chester Council and Another; P and Q v Surrey County Council [2014] UKSC 19, [2014] COPLR (forthcoming) and Marley v Rawlings [2014] UKSC 2, [2014] 2 FLR (forthcoming and reported at [2014] Fam Law 466).

The Court’s target remains for all appeals to be heard within nine months of the grant of permission. However, the UKSC can and has arranged hearings within weeks of the grant of permission in a number of urgent cases, including Re B and Re LC.

The United Kingdom Supreme Court (UKSC) is the UK’s highest court of appeal. It hears appeals on arguable points of law of general public importance, concentrating on cases of the greatest significance. The UKSC is the final court of appeal for all UK civil cases, and criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland and (in certain cases) Scotland.

The full report is available to download here .