Bibles for the courts

At an informal reception in July 2010 at the Signet Library, Edinburgh, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, as Honorary President of the Scottish Bible Society (SBS), presented inscribed Bibles to each of the Lord President Lord Hamilton and the Lord Justice Clerk Lord Gill to mark the start of a programme of distributing Bibles to the Scottish courts, and each of the judges expressed his gratitude in response.

Chief Executive of SBS Elaine Duncan explained that, following up an initiative suggested during her Society's recent bicentenary year, it was decided to ensure that judges in the Court of Session and each of the Sheriff Courts in Scotland had ready access to a copy of the Bible not only as a reference book which remains relevant to many aspects of substantive law, but also as the source of the principles of justice, integrity and mercy which underpin our court system in Scotland.