A magistrate has stepped down from the bench after 28 years in protest at the Government's controversial ban on hunting with dogs.
Susan Foster, the daughter of a former Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, said she could no longer administer justice now the law had come into force.
Mrs Foster, who hunted with the South Shropshire hunt 20 years ago, said she had stood down with full support from her colleagues.
She said other magistrates had expressed concerns about the legislation and could follow her.
Mrs Foster, from Ludlow, Shropshire, is the daughter of Major General Viscount Bridgeman, who took the decision to evacuate troops from Dunkirk in the Second World War. He received a Distinguished Service Order and was later knighted for his actions.
Speaking about her decision, Mrs Foster said: "My decision has absolutely nothing to do with the single issue of the rights and wrongs of hunting with dogs but has everything to do with the principles and freedom of justice and minority rights which this country has always stood for.
"I strongly believe that people in this country should be fre to pursue their traditional way of life.
"I cannot see any justice in destroying the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking, law abiding people by legislation which has not been endorsed by the findings of an independent inquiry and was driven by prejudice and forced onto the statute books by very dubious means.
"Rather more than 28 years ago I took an oath to do right by all manner of people and and since justice cannot be administered a la carte now the Hunting Act is in force I find it difficult in all conscience to continue to fulfil that oath."
Mrs Foster was a chairman of the bench at Telford Magistrates Court and had been a magistrate since 1976.
She was given a send-off by fellow magistrates, police and the Crown Prosecution Service at the court on Monday.
"Most of them completely understand. I haven't seen an awful lot of them because I resigned quite quickly when it was inevitable the Act was going to come into force. I didn't want to sit because you can't pick and choose what laws you are going to uphold.
"I know quite a few who have been thinking of resigning and I know one person who used to be on the Telford bench who is now up in Cumbria and he has left.
"People who will stay on say they can't sit on cases with hunting but I think you can either uphold the whole law or none of it."
