Andrew Rutherford Hardie, Baron Hardie, PC (born 8 January 1946) is a former Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and a former Lord Advocate, the country's senior Law Officer.

Born in Alloa,[1] Hardie was educated at St Modan's High School, Stirling and at the University of Edinburgh (M.A., LL.B.).

[5] On Wednesday 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York was blown up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing two hundred and seventy people.

Hardie took over as Lord Advocate shortly before arrangements for the trial were agreed, and it was intended he would lead the prosecution team, however he resigned as Lord Advocate in March 2000, two months before the trial was scheduled to begin,[6][7] and was forced to defend himself against accusations of having 'abandoned' the victims' families.

[11][12] The figures showed that eighty-four sentences imposed by Hardie had been overturned on appeal, all having been reduced, while two convictions were overturned, although both these convictions arose from the one case, in which it was found Hardie had misdirected the jury on a point of law.

[13] Lord Hardie's probe has now lasted longer than the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war.