Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Oxford alumnus, former High Steward of the University, and Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law, died on September 11, aged 76, after a battle with cancer.

The first English judge to hold the three leading judicial posts of Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice and Senior Law Lord, and the first judge to be honoured as a Knight of the Garter, Thomas Bingham studied history at Balliol College before reading for the Bar. He is particularly known for his consistent advocacy of human rights and the rule of law, having been involved in decisions such as the Belmarsh prison case in 2004, and in overseeing the separation of England's highest court from Parliament; the new Supreme Court was formed in 2009, a year after he retired as Senior Law Lord.

Lord Bingham, lecturing in Oxford, 2009

Since his retirement, Lord Bingham has given lectures to Oxford undergraduate law students as a Visiting Professor. Timothy Endicott, Dean of the Faculty of Law commented that, "Lord Bingham was one of the great English judges. His untimely death is a grief to so many in this country and around the world. Since his retirement as Senior Law Lord, he had been teaching human rights law in Oxford. He did this with brilliance and with great care for our students. All of us who have known Lord Bingham are familiar with that combination of high intellect and great generosity."

Links:

Oxford University Press press release.
Obituaries listed by Google.

published Saturday 11 September 2010

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