The Rt Hon The Baroness Hale of Richmond Published: 14 October 2013 It is a truth universally acknowledged that judicial review is , in the Ministry of Justice’s own words , ‘a critical check on the power of the state , providing an effective mechanism for challenging the decisions , acts or omissions of public bodies to ensure that they are lawful’ (Ministry of Justice , Judicial Review: Proposals for further reform , 2013 , Cm 8703 , para 1). The same is true of other public law remedies , such as statutory appeals and actions under the Human Rights Act , whereby the decisions , acts or omissions of public authorities may be challenged in the courts. This is a necessary component of the rule of law and , as famously pointed out by Lord Bingham in the Belmarsh case , the role of the judges in enforcing it is an essential part of the democratic process… PLP_conference_Lady_Hale_address