Court of Referees

The Court of Referees is a twelve-member committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established in 1865.^[1][2] It is tasked with considering the rights of a petitioner (until 2017 known as their locus standi) to argue against a private bill, in cases where the promoters of the bill have challenged that right.^[1][2]

It is chaired by the Chairman of Ways and Means (the principal Deputy Speaker).^[1][2] The other members are the other two Deputy Speakers, the Speaker's Counsel (the Speaker's legal adviser) and eight backbench MPs.^[1][2]

Three of the court's members, or referees, form a quorum.^[2] The court meets rarely;^[1] Erskine May reporting that "The court met once in 2016; prior to that meeting, it had last met in 2002".^[2]

• Fawcett, John Henry, Sir. A Treatise on the Court of Referees in Parliament.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Clifford, Frederick; Noble, Daniel (2010). Practice of the Court of Referees On Private Bills in Parliament: With Reports of Cases As to the Locus Standi of Petitioners During the Sessions 1867-8-9, Volume 1. ISBN 978-1145352896.