Inner House

Inner House of the Court of Session
Royal Court of Arms of the United Kingdom as used by the Courts in Scotland
55°56′56″N 3°11′28″W / 55.949°N 3.191°W / 55.949; -3.191
Established	1810; 214 years ago (1810)
Jurisdiction	Scotland
Location	Parliament House, Edinburgh
Coordinates	55°56′56″N 3°11′28″W / 55.949°N 3.191°W / 55.949; -3.191
Composition method	Appointed by Scottish Ministers on joint recommendation of the Lord President and Lord Justice Clerk
Authorised by	Court of Session Act 1810 and Court of Session Act 1988
Appeals to	Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Judge term length	Compulsory retirement at age of 75
Number of positions	12, by Court of Session 1988
Website	www.scotcourts.gov.uk
Lord President of the Court of Session
Currently	Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway
Since	18 December 2015
Lord Justice Clerk
Currently	Lady Dorrian
Since	13 April 2016

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The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance. The chief justice is the Lord President, with their deputy being the Lord Justice Clerk, and judges of the Inner House are styled Senators of the College of Justice or Lords of Council and Session.^[1] Criminal appeals in Scotland are handled by the High Court of Justiciary sitting as the Court of Appeal.

The Inner House is the part of the Court of Session which acts as a court of appeal for cases from the Outer House^[2] and from appeals in civil cases from the Court of the Lord Lyon, Scottish Land Court, and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. It will hear appeals on questions of law from the Sheriff Appeal Court. It will also sit as a court of first instance in rare instances. The Inner House is always a panel of at least three senators and does not sit with a jury.

The division of the Court into two houses was first enacted by the Court of Session Act 1810 and most recently confirmed by the Court of Session Act 1988.