Patrick Hodge, Lord Hodge
A Scottish legal mind who shaped the UK's highest court, bringing a distinctively pragmatic and scholarly approach to landmark constitutional cases.
Born 1953 (age 73)·British judge·Birthday: May 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Patrick Hodge, born in 1953, carved a path from Edinburgh Academy and Cambridge to the pinnacle of the British judiciary. His career was not one of flashy courtroom drama, but of deep intellectual rigour applied to the most complex points of law. After a successful practice as an advocate in Scotland, he was appointed as a judge in 2005, eventually rising to the UK Supreme Court in 2013. As Deputy President, Hodge was known for his meticulous, clear-eyed reasoning in cases that defined the limits of governmental power and the devolution settlements. His retirement in 2024 marked the end of an era for a jurist who consistently grounded lofty constitutional principles in practical reality, leaving a body of work that will guide the nation's legal framework for decades.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Patrick was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Patrick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Patrick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2020 to 2024.
- Was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2013, contributing to major constitutional rulings.
- Served as a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, sitting in both the Outer and Inner House of the Court of Session.
Did You Know?
He is a keen hillwalker and Munro-bagger, having climbed many of Scotland's highest peaks.
Before his judicial career, he was a practising advocate with a focus on commercial and tax law.
He was the second Scottish justice to be appointed directly to the UK Supreme Court.
“The law is a framework for reasoning, not a collection of answers.”
