Lady Hale causes a stir as she wears giant spider brooch to hand down Supreme Court ruling

Baroness Hale
AP
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Britain's most senior judge wore a giant spider brooch as she handed down the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Baroness Hale, who wore a dragonfly brooch during the hearing, chose the bejewelled spider instead today.

It sparked a stir on social media, with many speculating about why she had chosen the accessory.

The judge was hailed as the “spider woman” and the brooch described as “utterly badass”.

Brenda Hale, 74, became the first female president of the Supreme Court in 2017 after working as an academic lawyer and judge.

She has previously spoken out about the importance of diversity and argued that at least half of the judiciary should be women.

Lady Hale has had a varied career as an academic lawyer, law reformer and judge.

After graduating from Cambridge, she taught law at Manchester University from 1966 to 1984, also qualifying as a barrister and practising for a while at the Manchester Bar.

She specialised in family and social welfare law, was founding editor of the Journal Of Social Welfare And Family Law, and authored a pioneering case book on The Family, Law And Society.

In 1984 she was the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission, a statutory body which promotes the reform of the law.

She became a High Court judge in 1994 - the first to have made her career as an academic and public servant rather than a practising barrister.

In 1999 she was the second woman to be promoted to the Court of Appeal, before becoming the first woman Law Lord.

During her time as deputy president of the Supreme Court Lady Hale ruled on numerous headline-hitting cases, including the Brexit appeal.

She retains her links with the academic world as Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Visitor of Girton College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor of King's College London.

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