The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has 12 judges, including its President and Deputy President.
The Court was created by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and began operating in October 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the United Kingdom’s highest court. Its statutory complement is 12 justices, with one serving as President and another as Deputy President.
The UK Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases from England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It also hears criminal appeals from England and Wales and Northern Ireland, plus constitutional devolution cases. Its justices may additionally sit on the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The number 12 refers to the Court’s authorized complement, not the number of judges who sit on every individual case. Appeals are normally heard by a panel of an odd number of justices—often five, but sometimes larger for especially important matters. The UK court is therefore different from the U.S. Supreme Court, which has nine justices.