Andrew Le Sueur | University of Essex

Email
alesueur@essex.ac.uk
Location

5S.6.10, Colchester Campus

Profile

Biography

Andrew Le Sueur joined Essex as Professor of Constitutional Justice in 2013. He served as Dean of Essex Law School in 2017 and as Executive Dean (Arts and Humanities) from 2017 to 2023. Before Essex, he taught and researched at UCL, the University of Birmingham and Queen Mary University of London. His research has focused on how constitutional and public law work in practice: the procedures, institutions and routines that determine whether legal norms take effect. His work on judicial review, including empirical research with Maurice Sunkin, helped show how judicial review is experienced in courts and government and how public bodies adapt their internal practices in response. He has also written extensively on the accountability of judges, courts and Parliament’s relationship with the judicial system, and, more recently, on the constitutional implications of automated decision-making in the public sector. Alongside his research, Andrew has made wide-ranging contributions to academic leadership, institution-building and public service. At Essex he supported colleagues and departments through periods of organisational change, helping to sustain effective working relationships across disciplines and professional services. Earlier, as founding Director of Studies at Jersey’s Institute of Law from 2009 to 2013, he helped establish the island’s first law school. He is a former editor of Public Law, helped establish influential blogs for the UK Constitutional Law Association and the International Association of Constitutional Law, and is a Bencher of the Middle Temple and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Outside academia, he served on the Jersey Law Commission for a decade, working on projects to improve administrative redress and the implementation of the ECHR in Jersey. He has also served as a parliamentary adviser on constitutional reform.

Qualifications

LL.B. (Hons) (LSE, University of London)
Barrister, of the Middle Temple

Appointments

University of Essex

Professor of Constitutional Justice, Essex Law School, University of Essex (1/8/2013 - present)
Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Essex (14/8/2017 - 31/7/2023)
Inclusivity Champion for Jewish Students and Staff, University of Essex (30/9/2019 - 31/7/2023)
Head, School of Law, Law, University of Essex (1/1/2017 - 1/9/2017)

Other academic

Fellow, Constitution Unit, UCL, University College London (1/9/2015 - present)

Research and professional activities

Research interests

The constitutional role of the judiciary

Administrative law and justice

Tiny legal systems (serving populations of fewer than 100,000)

Human Rights in the British Crown Dependencies

The three British Crown Dependencies were requested by the UK Government to adopt legislation similar to the UK Human Rights Act 1998. How effective has this legislation in tiny jurisdictions, legally, politically and culturally different from the UK been in enhancing human rights protection?

Key words: human rights

Open to supervise

Nineteenth Century English constitutional and justice system

Using methods from microhistory, this project reconstructs the life of J.S. Gardiner (1820-1910), and Essex farmer and political activist who served on a Poor Law Board of Guardians, a highways board and was an inaugural member of Essex County Council in 1889. An obscure person (Gardiner) and place (rural parishes of North Essex) provide perspectives to challenge received understandings of how the 19th century constitutional and justice systems operated and what was important.

Key words: constitution

Open to supervise

Constitutional and Administrative Justice Initiative

Administrative Justice, Constitutional and Public Law, Social Justice, Judicial Review.

Open to supervise

Current research

Constitutional implications of automated decision-making by government

The legal systems and cultures of tiny jurisdictions (territories with fewer than 100,000 people)

How the UK Parliament considers proposals for designs of dispute resolution mechanisms (e.g. whether a bill should create rights of appeal to a tribunal, the role of ombudsmen, etc). This is a smaller scale study bridges two themes in my current scholarship: how redress mechanisms are designed and how parliamentarians engage with issues related to the judicial system (broadly conceived).

Conferences and presentations

15 April 2015: paper on robot government presented to roundtable organised in association with the UKCLA and the Study of Parliament Group.

2015

9 January 2015: participated in UKCLA roundtable on constitutional developments of 2014, speaking to this paper on the national justice infrastructure.

2015

16 July 2014: written and oral evidence to House of Lords Constitution Committee inquiry on the office of Lord Chancellor.

2014

23 June 2014: presentation at Second Annual Conference on Teaching Public Law, City University, London (report here)

London, United Kingdom, 2014

16-20 June 2014: International Association of Constitutional Law, IXth World Congress, Constitutional Challenges: global and local. Co-convenor of a workshop on immigration and asylum.

2014

21 October 2013: Immovable Property: The issues across sectors, across jurisdictions, Jersey.

Jersey, United Kingdom, 2013

2-6 September 2013: UK-China Conference in Public Law: The Rule of Law in Modern Constitutionalism at Renmin University, Beijing.

Beijing, China, 2013

Teaching and supervision

Current teaching responsibilities

Legal Research Skills (LW254)

Publications

Journal articles (6)

Le Sueur, A., (2025). Twenty-five years on: an empirical study of the Human Rights (Jersey) Law 2000. Jersey and Guernsey Law Review. 2025 (Oct), 249-284

Le Sueur, A., (2012). Designing Redress: Who Does it, How and Why. Asia Pacific Law Review. 20 (1), 17-44

Le Sueur, A., (2008). Gordon Brown?s new constitutional settlement. Public Law. 2008, 21-24

Le Sueur, A., (2005). The Rise and Ruin of Unreasonableness?. Judicial Review. 10 (1), 32-51

Le Sueur, A., (2004). Developing mechanisms for judicial accountability in the UK. Legal Studies. 24 (1-2), 73-98

Le Sueur, A., (1996). The Judicial Review Debate: From Partnership to Friction. Government and Opposition. 31 (1), 8-26

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Books (12)

Le Sueur, A., Sunkin, M. and Khushal Murkens, JE., (2023). Public Law Text, Cases, and Materials (Fifth Edition). Oxford University Press. 0192870610. 9780192870612

Sunkin, M., Le Sueur, A. and Murkens, J., (2019). Public Law Text Cases and Materials, 4th edition

Horne, A. and Le Sueur, A., (2016). Parliament: Legislation and Accountability. Hart. 9781849467162

Le Sueur, A., Sunkin, M. and Murkens, JEK., (2016). Public Law Text, Cases, and Materials (Third edition). Oxford University Press (OUP). 9780198735380

Le Sueur, AP., Woolf, H., Jowell, J., Hare, I. and Donnelly, C., (2016). De Smith's Judicial Review: 3rd supplement to 7th edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 0414060105. 9780414060104

Horne, A. and Le Sueur, A., (2016). Introduction

Woolf, RHL., Jowell, J., Le Sueur, A., Hare, I. and Donnelly, C., (2015). De Smith?s Judicial Review: Second Supplement to the 7th edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 9780414054509

Woolf, RHL., Jowell, J., Le Sueur, A., Hare, I. and Donnelly, C., (2014). De Smith?s Judicial Review: First Supplement to the 7th edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 9780414036673

Woolf, RHL., Jowell, J., Le Sueur, A., Hare, I. and Donnelly, C., (2013). De Smith's Judicial Review (Seventh edition). Sweet & Maxwell. 9780414042155

Le Sueur, A., Sunkin, M. and Murkens, J., (2013). Public Law: Text Cases and Materials (2nd edition). Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-964418-6

Le Sueur, A., Sunkin, M. and Murkens, J., (2010). Public Law: Text Cases and Materials. Oxford University Press. 0198820283. 9780199284191

Le Sueur, A., (2004). Building the UK's New Supreme CourtNational and Comparative Perspectives. Oxford University Press. 9780199264629

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Book chapters (18)

Le Sueur, A., (2019). The Foundations of Justice. In: The Changing Constitution. Editors: Jowell, J. and O'Cinneide, C., . Oxford University Press, Oxford. 209- 238. 0198806361. 9780198806363

Le Sueur, A., (2016). Robot Government: Automated Decision-Making and its Implications for Parliament. In: Parliament: Legislation and Accountability. Editors: Horen, A. and Le Sueur, A., . Hart. 183- 202. 9781849467162

Le Sueur, A., (2016). Administrative litigation in England and Wales. In: Administrative Litigation Systems in Greater China and Europe. 163- 190

Le Sueur, A., (2015). The foundations of justice. In: The Changing Constitution (8th edition). Editors: Jowell, J., Oliver, D. and O'Cinneide, C., . Oxford University Press. 978-0198709824

Le Sueur, A., (2014). Administrative litigation in England and wales. In: Administrative Litigation Systems in Greater China and Europe. 163- 190. 9781472436085

Le Sueur, A., (2014). Regulating home ownership and occupation in Jersey: Human Rights Issues. In: Immovable Property: The Issues across sectors, across jurisdictions. Editors: Thomas, M., . Institute of Law. 88- 109. 978-1-908716-35-4

Le Sueur, A., (2013). 'Tradition' in English Administrative Law. In: Administrative Law in Europe: Between Common Principles and National Traditions. Editors: Ruffert, M., . Europa Law Publishing. 19- 34. 9789089521323

Le Sueur, A. and Simson Caird, J., (2013). The House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution. In: Parliament and the Law. Editors: Horne, A., Drewry, G. and Oliver, D., . Hart Publishing. 281- 308. 9781849462952

Le Sueur, A., (2011). Administrative Justice and the Resolution of Disputes. In: The Changing Constitution (Seventh Edition ). Editors: Jowell, J. and Oliver, D., . Oxford University Press. 9780199579051

Le Sueur, A., (2011). People as ?Users? and ?Citizens. In: Legitimacy in European Administrative Law Back Legitimacy in European Administrative Law Reform and Reconstruction. Editors: Ruffert, M., . Europa Law Publishing. 27- 48. 9789089520982

Le Sueur, A., (2009). 5. From Appellate Committee to Supreme Court: A Narrative. In: The Judicial House of Lords. Oxford University Press. 64- 95. 9780199532711

Le Sueur, A., (2009). Constitutional Fundamentals; Fundamental Principles. In: English Public Law (Second Edition ). Editors: Feldman, D., . Oxford University Press. 9780199227938

Le Sueur, A., (2009). The Nature, Powers, and Accountability of Central Government. In: English Public Law (Second Edition ). Editors: Feldman, D., . Oxford University Press. 9780199227938

(2008). Constitutional Futures Revisited. In: Constitutional Futures Revisited Britain S Constitution to 2020. Editors: Hazell, R., . Palgrave Macmillan UK. 109- 122. 9781349306220

Le Sueur, A., (2007). Administrative justice and the rise of informal dispute resolution in England. In: The Transformation of Administrative Law in Europe. Editors: Ruffert, M., . Sellier European Law Publishers. 9783935808910

Le Sueur, A., (2007). Courts: Tribunals, Ombudsmen, ADR: Administrative Justice, Constitutionalism and Informality. In: The Changing Constitution (6th Edition). Editors: Jowell, J. and Oliver, D., . Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-920511-0

Le Sueur, A., (2007). Entries on: Accountability, Adversary System, Courts, Judges, Judicial Appointments, Judicial Independence, Solicitor General and UK Supreme Court. In: New Oxford Companion to Law. Editors: Cane, P. and Conaghan, J., . Oxford University Press. 9780199290543

Le Sueur, A., (2005). Judicial Autonomy, Human Rights and the Future of the Bailiff. In: A Celebration of Autonomy: 1204-2004, 800 Years of Channel Islands' Law. Editors: Bailhache, P., . Jersey Law Review. 0953590372

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