US Judge Sworn in on UK Soil for First Time in Centuries
Professor Peter Romary made history by becoming the first American Judge to be sworn into office on UK Soil since the 1700s
Published on March 9, 2018

On March 6, 2018, Professor Peter Romary - a British-born American - made the history books as he became the first American Judge to be sworn in on British soil in centuries.

At a ceremony held at the Nottingham Law School campus, Professor Romary took the Oath of Office enabling him to serve as a pro-tem Judge in North Carolina. He received special permission to take the Oath in the UK whilst he, his faculty colleagues and US students of Campbell Law School, North Carolina, were visiting Britain as part of the new LLM Legal Practice by Distance Learning course which Nottingham Law School is offering.

Another advantage of a UK based ceremony was that Peter's parents, both based in the UK, could attend. His mother, Joy, held the Bible on which he took his Oath.

It is believed that this is the first swearing in of an American Judge on British soil since the 1700s and the American War of Independence.

The Ceremony was administered by American Judge Jeff Foster, whilst the visiting Dean of Campbell Law School also took the opportunity to speak a few words about the US Legal System and the role of Judges.

Dean of Nottingham Law School, Professor Janine Griffiths-Baker, said "This was a truly historic event and we are honoured to have been involved in such a momentous occasion. Our relationship with Law Schools around the world enables our students to learn and benefit from a wealth of experiences, and this is just one example of bringing the US legal system right to our door. Not only that, but we were also delighted to welcome the first US students onto our LLM distance learning course – four of whom are Judges."

A great example of the Transatlantic relationship, we would like to congratulate Professor Romary on being part of such a unique, historic occassion.

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