Bailiff (Channel Islands)

The Bailiff is the chief justice in each of the Channel Island bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, also serving as president of the legislature and having ceremonial and executive functions. Each bailiwick has possessed its own bailiff since the islands were divided into two jurisdictions in the 13th century. The Bailiffs and Deputy Bailiffs are appointed by the Crown (not by the governments or legislatures of the islands) and may hold office until retirement age (65 in Guernsey, 70 in Jersey).

Originally, the Bailiff was both legislator and judge, but the position has become increasingly concentrated on the judicial functions. The Bailiff presides in the main trial court in his island— the Royal Court of Jersey and the Royal Court of Guernsey, where they sit with Jurats, elected lay judges responsible for making finds of fact. The Bailiff of each island is also a member of the court of appeal in his island, and that of the other.

The Bailiffs are the Presidents (presiding officers) of the legislatures—the States of Jersey Assembly and the States of Deliberation in Guernsey.

Constitutional changes introduced in Jersey (2005) and Guernsey (2004) created posts of chief minister and in Jersey (but not in Guernsey) created a ministerial system of government. This has altered the executive functions of the Bailiffs but they continue to have a residual executive role (for example, they see correspondence between the chief minister of their island and the UK government and may be involved in any political decisions affecting the constitutional relationship between the islands and the United Kingdom). Each Bailiff continues to be the 'first citizen' of the island, carrying out civil and ceremonial roles.

By constitutional convention he or she (though to date there have been no women holders of the office) and the Deputy Bailiff are invariably selected from among those who have previously held the senior office within the Law Officers of the Crown–the Procureur in Guernsey and the Attorney General in Jersey. Bailiffs and Deputy Bailiffs in modern times have also invariably been qualified as advocates in their respective islands.

...
Wikipedia