Donald Mackay, Baron Mackay of Drumadoon
Donald Sage Mackay, Baron Mackay of Drumadoon, PC, QC ( born January 30, 1946) is a British judge of the Supreme Court of Scotland and a former Lord Advocate, the most senior Law Officer of the country. He is one of five additional Lords of Appeal in the House of Lords.
Life and career
Mackay was born in 1946, the son of Rev. Donald George Mackay Mackintosh and Jean Margaret Mackay. His brother is the journalist Alan Mackay. He attended the independent George Watson 's College in Edinburgh. He studied at the School of Law of the University of Edinburgh ( LL.B. and LLM) and the School of Law at the University of Virginia.
From 1969 to 1971 he worked as a trainee solicitor with Davidson & Syme CS Edinburgh. In 1971 he was admitted as a solicitor and practiced five years with Allan McDougall & Company, before he was in 1976 admitted to the Faculty of Advocates. From 1982 to 1985 he was Advocate Depute, a prosecutor in the High Court and 1987 he was Solicitor General for Scotland.
From 1988 to 1992 he was a Temporary Sheriff and from 1989 to 1995 he was a member of the Supervisory Board (Board ) of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
In 1995, he replaced Thomas Dawson, Lord Dawson as Solicitor General for Scotland, has been appointed as the judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, later in the same year he succeeded Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry as Lord Advocate, as this to Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General was appointed.
Membership in the House of Lords
Mackay was appointed Life peer as Baron Mackay of Drumadoon, of Blackwater Foot in the District of Cunninghame on 13 December 1995 and in 1996 was a member of the Privy Council.
From 1995 to 1997 he was a government spokesman for legal affairs and the internal and Scottish affairs. From 1997 to 2000 he was responsible for internal affairs. From 1997 to 1999 he was with the Lord Advocate 's Department.
Before Scottish devolution in 1999 the Lord Advocate was a political appointment, therefore Mackay was after the electoral defeat of the Tories at the general election in 1997 by Andrew Hardie, Baron Hardie by the Labour Party replaced. Between May 1997 and March 2000, he combined his role as Senior Counsel with an active role in the House of Lords as an opposition spokesman for Scotland and constitutional issues.
As a senior judge, he is disqualified from participation.
- Session 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002: 14 days
- Session 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003: 12 days
- Session 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004: 13 days
- Session 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005: 10 days
- Session 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006: 5 days
- Session of April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007: 8 days
- Session 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008: 11 days
- Session 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009: 10 days
- Session 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010: 5 days
- Session of April 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010: not specified days
- Session 1 July 2010 to 30 September 2010: not specified days
- Session 1 October 2010 to 31 December 2010: not specified days
- Session 1 January 2011 to 31 March 2011: not specified days
In the period up to his disqualification in 2009, he was sporadically present in session.
Mackay was appointed in March 2000 as a judge of the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary, Scotland's highest court. Mackay is also one of five members of the House of Lords, with the twelve Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, who were entitled to form the body of the house, which was concerned with legal matters under ss.5 & 25 of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876. In October 2009, the legal functions of the House of Lords to the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom under Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 were transferred, with the twelve Lords of Appeal in Ordinary was the first judge. While ss. 38 and 39 other judges are allowed to belong to this, Mackay is excluded by its position as Acting Judge of the Outer House of the Court of Session of both.