The chief justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, sometimes informally known as the chief justice of Hong Kong, is the head of the Judiciary of Hong Kong and the president of the Court of Final Appeal.Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484), Section 6(2) The chief justice is one of four permanent members of the Court.Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484), Section 5(1) During British rule between 1843 and 1997, the head of the Hong Kong Judiciary was the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong; that position became the chief judge of the High Court in 1997.

The chief justice is appointed by the chief executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council.

The first chief justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal was Andrew Li, who served for over 13 years.

Role of the chief justice The chief justice is the president of the Court of Final Appeal, and is charged with the administration of the Judiciary and often acts as its spokesperson. He is assisted by the court leaders of the lower courts for judicial administration (such as dealing with staffing, promotions, or public complaints), namely the chief judge of the High Court, chief district judge, and the chief magistrate. In hearing and determining an appeal, the Court will consist of five judges, with the chief justice sitting at the middle of the bench. However, the chief justice enjoys no higher authority than other permanent or non-permanent judges of the court when it comes to judicial decisions.

The office of chief justice is second only to the chief executive of Hong Kong in the Hong Kong order of precedence. In the case of an impeachment of a chief executive of Hong Kong, the chief justice presides over the trial as provided by the Hong Kong Basic Law. The chief justice is also the chairman ex-officio of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission which makes recommendations to fill a variety of judicial roles, and also determines the elevation of junior barristers to senior counsel status.

List No. NamePlace of birthStarting ageRetirement age Term of office Tenure length Prior judicial officesHigher educationInner bar Appointed by1 Andrew Li Kwok-nang, GBM李國能(born 1948; age )Hong Kong48611 July 199731 August 2010Deputy District Judge (1982–85)Deputy High Court Judge (1991–97)University of Cambridge (MA, LLM)QC (1988)Tung Chee-hwa2 Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, GBM馬道立(born 1956; age )Hong Kong54651 September 201010 January 2021Recorder of the Court of First Instance (2000–01)Judge of the Court of First Instance (2001–02)Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (2002–03)Chief Judge of the High Court (2003–10)University of Birmingham (LLB)University of LawQC (1993)Donald Tsang3Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, GBM張舉能(born 1961; age )Hong Kong59Incumbent11 January 2021IncumbentDistrict Judge (2001–03)Deputy High Court Judge (2001–03)Judge of the Court of First Instance (2003–11)Chief Judge of the High Court (2011–18)Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (2018–21)University of Hong Kong (LLB, PCLL)Harvard Law School (LLM)Carrie Lam

Residence

The chief justice resides at the Chief Justice's House, also known as the Clavadel, at 18 Gough Hill Road, The Peak. It was built in 1893. The chief justice is also chauffeured in a government vehicle with the license plate "CJ".

Judiciary administrator

Attached to the office of the chief justice is a Judiciary administrator, who assists the chief justice in the overall administration of the Judiciary. Being the head of the Judiciary Administration, they have to ensure that proper support is provided to judges and judicial officers in the administration of justice, and that court operation is being carried out effectively and smoothly. +#NameTerm of officeTenure lengthAppointed by1Alice Tai Yuen-ying, GBS, JP1 July 199731 March 1999Andrew Li2Wilfred Tsui Chi-keung15 June 199914 June 20053Emma Lau Yin-wah, JP15 June 200516 July 20204Esther Leung Yuet-yin, JP20 July 2020IncumbentGeoffrey Ma

See also Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong Legal system of Hong Kong

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