Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to House of Lords of the United Kingdom in order exercise its judicial functions, which included acting as the court of appeal for most domestic matters. The House Lords, however, lost its judicial functions upon the establishment the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in October 2009; those office became Justices of the Supreme Court the United Kingdom and lost their right to speak vote in the House of Lords until their retirement Justices of the new court.

Ranks and titles

To appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary under the 1876 Act, an individual must have been a barrister a period of fifteen years or must have held high judicial office — Lord Chancellor (before 2005) or of the Court of Appeal, High Court or Court Session — for a period of two years. Lords Appeal in Ordinary were required to retire from judicial at 70 or 75 years of age, though as under the style of Baron they continued to serve members of the House of Lords in legislative capacity for life.
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary were occasionally joined other Lords of Appeal in exercising the judicial of the House of Lords. Lords of Appeal included or former holders of high judicial office who are of the House, but not by virtue of Appellate Jurisdiction Act (e.g. life peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958). The Lords of Appeal continue to hold the style for .

House of Lords

The House of Lords had jurisdiction to hear appeals from the lower courts. Theoretically, the appeals to the King- or Queen-in-Parliament, but House of Commons does not participate in judicial matters. House of Lords did not necessarily include judges, but was formerly attended by several judges who gave their when the Lords desired. They did not, however, have power to vote in the House. In 1856, to legally qualified members to exercise the House's appellate functions allowing their heirs to swell the size of House, Sir James Parke, a judge, was created a life . The House of Lords refused to admit him, so had to take his seat as an hereditary peer.
1873, William Ewart Gladstone's government passed the Judicature Act, reorganised the court system and abolished the appellate jurisdiction the House of Lords in respect of English appeals. February of the next year, before the Act came force, Gladstone's Liberal Government fell; the Conservative Benjamin Disraeli Prime Minister. In 1874 and 1875, acts were passed delaying the coming-into-force of Judicature Act. In 1876, the Appellate Jurisdiction Act repealed the provisions rescinding the jurisdiction of House of Lords. Additionally, the Act provided for the of two persons to be Lords of Appeal in , who were to sit in the House of Lords the dignity of baron. Originally, though they held the of baron for life, they served in Parliament only holding judicial office; 11 years later, however, an act passed allowing Lords of Appeal to continue to sit vote in Parliament even after retirement from office.
The statutory retirement for Lords of Appeal in Ordinary depended when they were first appointed to judicial office: for who first became a judge before 31 March 1995, retirement age is 75 years of age; for those on or after that date, retirement is at 70 of age (though they are permitted to continue sitting a part-time capacity as a "Lord of Appeal" until age of 75 years). There have been recent suggestions the retirement age for the United Kingdom's most senior should revert to 75 years of age.
The Lords Appeal in Ordinary are joined by the Lords of Appeal, include members of the House of Lords, not created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act, who hold or held high judicial office. Lords of Appeal retain their for life but are incapable of hearing cases after age of 75. Only Lords of Appeal in Ordinary salaries: for 2004, the salary for the Senior Lord Appeal in Ordinary was £185,705, and for other Lords Appeal in Ordinary it was £179,431.