Home > William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett

Norman Birkett was a native of Ulverston near Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he became President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1910. He was called to the Bar in 19131913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. click on link for calendar) Events January-March January 30 House of Lords rejects Irish Home Rule Bill February 1 New York City's Grand Central Station opens as the world's largest train station. February 3 Th and joined the chambers of the celebrated defence lawyer Edward Marshall Hall . Like Hall, Birkett specialised in criminal defence cases, and in 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne secured the acquittal of Tony Mancini (alias Jack Notyre) in the celebrated Brighton Trunk Crime No. 2. Mancini had faced overwhelming evidence and many years later admitted his guilt.

Birkett was a LiberalThe Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which wo in politics and twice served briefly in Parliament for NottinghamThis article is about the English city. For others, see Nottingham (disambiguation). Nottingham is a city located in the East Midlands of England. Nottingham lies on the River Trent, which flows from Stoke-on-Trent to the Humber the only English river to East (which ensured a rapid rise to King's Counsel). He harboured an ambition to serve as Attorney-General but was thwarted by his defeat in the 19311931 is the common year starting on Thursday. see link for calendar) Events January January 4 Female aviator Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa January 6 Thomas Edison submits his last patent application. January 22 Sir Isaac Isaacs sworn in as the general election. In 1939Events January-June January 2 End of term for Frank Finley Merriam, 28th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Culbert Levy Olson. January 24 Earthquake kills 30. 000 in Chile about 50. 000 sq mi razed January 26 Falangists take Barcelona January 26 he was picked to head an Advisory Committee to oversee the internmentThe word internment is generally used to refer to the imprisonment or confinement of people without due process of law and a trial. It also refers to the practice of neutral countries in time of war to hold belligerent armed forces and equipment which ent of British citizens under Defence Regulation 18BDefence Regulation 18B was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. It allowed for the internment of people suspected of being Nazi sympathisers. Preparations for war The Defence Regulations existed in and in 1941 he was made a Judge of the King's Bench Division.

His experience in 18B cases and other wartime trials led him to be selected over more experienced colleagues to be the British Judge at the Nuremberg Trials. Because of his junior status the initial plan for him to be the leading Judge was revised and he became the deputy to Geoffrey Lawrence. Birkett resented the fact that Lawrence received a peerage after the end of the trials where he did not, although he was appointed to the Privy Council in 1947.

In 1950 Birkett was made a Lord Justice of Appeal. He was also made Chairman of the Court of the University of London from 1946. He retired as a Judge in 1957 as soon as he had served long enough to qualify for a judicial pension, and the next year was given a Peerage as 1st Baron Birkett. On February 8 1962 in the House of Lords he successfully moved to reject a Bill to allow the lake of Ullswater, near his birthplace, to be abstracted for drinking water in Lancashire. He died two days later.