List of judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal

The Court of Final Appeal is Hong Kong's highest court. As set out in the Court of Final Appeal Ordinance, the court is composed of the Chief Justice, no less than three permanent judges, and no more than 30 non-permanent judges. The Court sits as a bench of five in substantive hearings, which it must be heard by at least one non-permanent judge alongside the Chief Justice and the three permanent judges.

The judges of the Court of Final Appeal are appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, with the appointment of the Chief Justice additional requiring the endorsement of the Legislative Council. Permanent judges enjoy life tenure, subject to a retirement age of 70; in exceptional circumstances, the retirement age can be extended to 76. However, in September 2025, the tenure of justice Roberto Ribeiro was extended once again for an unprecedented three-year term starting on his 77th birthday, meaning that he will serve as a permanent judge until his 80th birthday.

As of April 2023, the monthly salary of the Chief Justice and permanent judges are and respectively.

List of permanent judges denotes incumbent permanent judges

Chief Justices

+No.PortraitNameChinese nameTenure startTenure endTenure lengthPrevious judicial officeInner barAppointed by1Andrew Li Kwok-nang(Born 1948)1 July 199731 August 2010Deputy High Court JudgeQC (1988)Tung Chee-hwa2 Geoffrey Ma Tao-li(Born 1956)1 September 201010 January 2021Chief Judge of the High CourtQC (1993)Donald Tsang3Andrew Cheung Kui-nung(Born 1961)11 January 2021IncumbentPermanent Judge of the Court of Final AppealCarrie Lam

Permanent Judges

+No.NameChinese nameReplacingTenure startTenure endTenure lengthPrevious judicial officeInner barAppointed by1Henry Denis Litton(Born 1934)Inaugural1 July 199713 September 2000Vice-president of the Court of AppealQC (1970)Tung Chee-hwa2Charles Arthur Ching(1935–2000)1 July 19976 October 2000Justice of AppealQC (1974)3Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary(Born 1947)1 July 199724 October 2012Justice of AppealQC (1983)4Patrick Chan Siu-oi(Born 1948)Litton1 September 200020 October 2013Chief Judge of the High Court5 Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro(Born 1949)Ching1 September 2000IncumbentJustice of AppealQC (1990)6Robert Tang Kwok-ching(Born 1947)Bokhary25 October 201224 October 2018Vice-president of the Court of Appeal(Concurrent Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal)QC (1986)Leung Chun-ying7 Joseph Paul Fok(Born 1962)Chan21 October 2013IncumbentJustice of AppealSC (1999)8 Andrew Cheung Kui-nung(Born 1961)Tang25 October 201810 January 2021 Chief Judge of the High CourtCarrie Lam9Johnson Lam Man-hon(Born 1961)Cheung30 July 2021IncumbentVice-president of the Court of Appeal

List of Hong Kong non-permanent judges

Current

No. Name Chinese name Tenure startTenure length Previous senior judicial officesInner bar Appointed by1Frank Stock(Born 1945) 1 September 2010Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (2009–14)QC (1985)Donald Tsang2Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary(Born 1947) 25 October 2012Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (1997–2012)QC (1983)Leung Chun-ying3Patrick Chan Siu-oi(Born 1948) 21 October 2013Chief Judge of the High Court (1997–2000)Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (2000–13)4Robert Tang Kwok-ching(Born 1947)25 October 2018Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (2006–12)Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (2010–12)Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (2012–18)QC (1986)Carrie Lam

Former

No. Name Chinese name Tenure start Tenure endTenure lengthPrior most senior local judicial roleInner barNotesAppointed by1Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts28 July 1997 27 July 2003Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1979–88)QC (1964)Inaugural justiceTung Chee-hwa2Sir Alan Armstrong Huggins28 July 1997 27 July 2003Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1980–87)Inaugural justice3Sir Derek Cons28 July 199727 July 2006Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1986–93)Inaugural justice4William James Silke28 July 199727 July 2009Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1987–94)Inaugural justice5Kutlu Tekin Fuad28 July 199727 July 2009Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1988–93)Inaugural justice6Gerald Paul Nazareth28 July 199727 July 2012Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1994–2000)QC (1981)Inaugural justice7John Barry Mortimer28 July 199727 July 2015Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1997–99)QC (1971)Inaugural justice8Sir Noel Plunkett Power28 July 199719 November 2009Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (1997–99)Inaugural justice; died in office9Art Michael McMullin28 July 1997 27 July 2003Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (1979–86)Inaugural justice10Philip Gerard Clough28 July 199727 July 2006Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (1986–92)Inaugural justice11Neil Macdougall28 July 199727 July 2003Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (1993–95)Inaugural justice12Henry Denis Litton14 September 200013 September 2015Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (1997–2000)QC (1970)13Charles Arthur Ching7 October 200030 November 2000Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (1997–2000)QC (1974)Died in office14Robert Tang Kwok-ching1 September 201024 October 2012Vice-president of the Court of Appeal (2006–12)QC (1986)First NPJ appointed permanent judgeDonald Tsang15Michael John Hartmann1 September 201031 August 2016Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (2008–12)

List of overseas non-permanent judges An overseas non-permanent judge must be a judge or a retired judge of a court in another common law jurisdiction.

Current

No. JurisdictionPortrait NameChinese name Tenure startTenure length Prior most senior judicial roleInner bar Appointed by1United KingdomLord Hoffmann 12 January 1998Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (1995–2009)QC (1977)Tung Chee-hwa2United KingdomLord Neuberger of Abbotsbury 1 March 2009President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2012–17)QC (1987)Donald Tsang3AustraliaPatrick Anthony Keane6 April 2023Justice of the High Court of Australia (2013–22)QC (1988)John Lee4AustraliaJames Leslie Bain Allsop歐頌律24 May 2024Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia (2013–23)SC (1994)5New ZealandSir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young楊偉廉爵士23 June 2025Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand (2010–22)QC (1991)

Former No.JurisdictionPortrait Name Chinese name Tenure start Tenure endTenure lengthPrior most senior judicial roleInner barNotesAppointed by1New ZealandLord Cooke of Thorndon28 July 1997 27 July 2006Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (1996–2001)QC (1964)Inaugural justiceTung Chee-hwa2AustraliaSir Anthony Frank Mason28 July 199727 July 2015Chief Justice of Australia (1987–95)QC (1964)Inaugural justice3New ZealandSir Edward Jonathan Somers28 July 19973 June 2002Judge of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand (1981–90)QC (1973)Inaugural justice; died in office4AustraliaSir Daryl Michael Dawson 1 September 1997 31 August 2003Justice of the High Court of Australia (1982–97)QC (1971)5United KingdomLord Nicholls of Birkenhead12 January 199811 January 2004Second Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (2002–07)QC (1974)6AustraliaSir Francis Gerard Brennan28 July 200027 July 2012Chief Justice of Australia (1995–98)QC (1965)7United KingdomLord Millett28 July 200027 May 2021Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (1998–2004)QC (1974)Died in office8New ZealandSir Johann Thomas Eichelbaum28 July 200027 July 2012Chief Justice of New Zealand (1989–99)QC (1978)9Lord Scott of Foscote28 July 200327 July 2012Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (2000–09)QC (1975)10United KingdomLord Woolf28 July 200327 July 2012Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2000–05)11New ZealandSir Ivor Lloyd Morgan Richardson28 July 200327 July 2009President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand (1996–2002)12AustraliaMichael Hudson McHugh1 July 200630 June 2012Justice of the High Court of Australia (1989–2005)QC (1973)Donald Tsang13New Zealand Sir Thomas Munro Gault1 July 200619 May 2015Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand (2004–06)QC (1984)Died in office14United KingdomLord Walker of Gestingthorpe1 March 200916 November 2023Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–13)QC (1982)Died in office15AustraliaAnthony Murray Gleeson1 March 200929 February 2024Chief Justice of Australia (1998–2008)QC (1974)16United KingdomLord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony30 June 201129 June 2020Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–17)QC (1979)17United KingdomLord Collins of Mapesbury 30 June 20115 June 2024Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–11)QC (1997)Resigned mid-term18United KingdomLord Phillips of Worth Matravers 1 October 2012 30 September 2024President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009–12)QC (1978)Leung Chun-ying 19AustraliaJames Jacob Spigelman29 July 20132 September 2020Chief Justice of New South Wales (1998–2011)QC (1986)First NPJ to resign mid-term20AustraliaWilliam Montague Charles Gummow 29 July 2013 17 September 2026Justice of the High Court of Australia (1995–2012)QC (1986)Died in office21United KingdomLord Reed of Allermuir31 May 201730 March 2022President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2020–)QC (1995)Resigned mid-term22AustraliaRobert Shenton French31 May 201731 March 2025Chief Justice of Australia (2008–17)Resigned mid-term23United KingdomBaroness Hale of Richmond30 July 201829 July 2021President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2017–20)QC (1989)First NPJ to not renew termCarrie Lam24CanadaBeverley Marian McLachlin30 July 201829 July 2024Chief Justice of Canada (2000–17)25United KingdomLord Sumption18 December 20194 June 2024Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2012–18)QC (1986)Resigned mid-term26United KingdomLord Hodge1 January 202130 March 2022Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2020–2025)QC (1996)Resigned mid-term

Statistics Traditionally, all overseas non-permanent judges came from three common law jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2018, Beverly McLachlin—the former Chief Justice of Canada—became the first Canadian (and, along with Baroness Hale, one of the first two women) to be appointed to the CFA. JurisdictionCurrent FormerTotal21214Australia2810New Zealand156Canada011Total52631

See also Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal

Notes

References