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District Judges do c.90% of the civil work in the courts. Their range of jurisdiction is more easily described by saying what they can't do.

Lists are unending. Reading and judgment time is limited. The pressure from LIPs is now the norm. The collegiate nature of the judiciary now seems to be breaking down. No one has any time.

And it's not always the long difficult cases that always cause problems. The worst three days of my judicial career were in the late 80s when during a recession I was given mortgage possession lists for 3 consecutive days - 10 minutes each including getting to my room and out of it. Say 8 minutes. About 150 cases. Nearly all the defendants were unemployed with few prospects and in negative equity, which with interest rates in the teens was getting worse by the day.

Not a lot you could do under the principles then in force, except to tell them that the order didn't enforce itself, not to leave voluntarily, and point them to the local council.

Some brought their children. Frightened for their parents and for themselves. It was not their fault.

I found it, shall we say, upsetting and I'm pretty tough.

Hall, you are a disgrace.