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NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Hong Kong Appoints New Zealand Judge To Top Court
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A New Zealand judge has been appointed to Hong Kong's top court amid overseas jurist exodus. William Young, 73, joins five other overseas non-permanent justices from the UK and Australia. Hong Kong invites overseas judges to its Court of Final Appeal to uphold common law jurisdiction. Hong Kong: A New Zealand judge has been appointed as a justice of Hong Kong's top court, after a years-long exodus of overseas jurists following Beijing's imposition of a sweeping security law on the finance hub. Hong Kong's lawmakers on Wednesday approved the appointment of William Young, 73, to join five other overseas non-permanent justices from the UK and Australia. Hong Kong is a common law jurisdiction separate from mainland China and invites overseas judges to hear cases at its Court of Final Appeal. Their presence has been seen as a bellwether for the rule of law since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. Beijing passed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, following huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city the year before. Since then, several overseas judges have quit the Court of Final Appeal without finishing their terms, while others have not renewed their appointments. The lineup of overseas judges has gone from 15 at its peak down to five, not including Mr Young. The newly appointed justice, who retired from his role as a New Zealand Supreme Court judge in April 2022, is expected to start in Hong Kong this month. Hong Kong leader John Lee accepted a recommendation to appoint Mr Young in May and praised him as "a judge of eminent standing and reputation". Cases at the top court in Hong Kong are typically heard by a panel of four local judges and a fifth ad hoc member, who may be a foreign judge. In January, Hong Kong's chief justice said recruiting suitable overseas judges "may be less straightforward than it once was", given geopolitical headwinds. The government has defended the security law as necessary to restore order after the 2019 protests and said the city remains a well-respected legal hub.
HKFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong lawmakers endorse New Zealand judge for top court
A New Zealand judge has been appointed as a justice of Hong Kong's top court, after a years-long exodus of overseas jurists following Beijing's imposition of a sweeping security law on the finance hub. Hong Kong's lawmakers on Wednesday approved the appointment of William Young, 73, to join five other overseas non-permanent justices from the UK and Australia. Hong Kong is a common law jurisdiction separate from mainland China and invites overseas judges to hear cases at its Court of Final Appeal. Their presence has been seen as a bellwether for the rule of law since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. Beijing passed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, following huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city the year before. Since then, several overseas judges have quit the Court of Final Appeal without finishing their terms, while others have not renewed their appointments. The lineup of overseas judges has gone from 15 at its peak down to five, not including Young. The newly appointed justice, who retired from his role as a New Zealand Supreme Court judge in April 2022, is expected to start in Hong Kong this month. Hong Kong leader John Lee accepted a recommendation to appoint Young in May and praised him as 'a judge of eminent standing and reputation'. Cases at the top court in Hong Kong are typically heard by a panel of four local judges and a fifth ad hoc member, who may be a foreign judge. In January, Hong Kong's chief justice said recruiting suitable overseas judges 'may be less straightforward than it once was', given geopolitical headwinds. The government has defended the security law as necessary to restore order after the 2019 protests and said the city remains a well-respected legal hub.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Hong Kong bolsters top court with first foreign judge in a year
HONG KONG: Hong Kong has appointed a retired New Zealand judge to its top court, the first foreign justice named to the appellate body in over a year following record resignations that threatened to undermine confidence in the judicial system. The city's lawmakers on Wednesday (June 4) approved William Young's (pic) appointment as a non-permanent judge at the Court of Final Appeal. The move partly restores overseas judges who quit after Beijing imposed a national security law and curbed political freedoms. The addition of Young, who retired from New Zealand's Supreme Court in 2022, will bring the number of foreign judges in the financial hub to six, compared with 15 in 2019. Their presence has long been seen as a selling point for foreign companies looking to do business in the former British colony, which has kept its own judiciary since returning to Chinese rule. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who accepted an advisory body's recommendation to appoint Young last month, praised his "eminent standing and reputation.' "Their participation demonstrates a high degree of confidence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions,' Lee said of the bench of foreign judges in a statement at the time. Young joins Australian James Allsop, who was appointed last year. Since Beijing announced the national security law in 2020, about half of the CFA's 15 overseas justices from a 2019 peak have either resigned or chosen not to renew their terms. Several, including UK judges Jonathan Sumption and Lawrence Collins, have openly cited political reasons for their departures. In January, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung acknowledged that recruiting suitable overseas judges has become "less straightforward' due to geopolitical headwinds. He maintained, however, that these departures do not signify a weakening of the judiciary's quality or independence. - Bloomberg
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Hong Kong Bolsters Top Court With First Foreign Judge in a Year
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong has appointed a retired New Zealand judge to its top court, the first foreign justice named to the appellate body in over a year following record resignations that threatened to undermine confidence in the judicial system. The city's lawmakers on Wednesday approved William Young's appointment as a non-permanent judge at the Court of Final Appeal. The move partly restores overseas judges who quit after Beijing imposed a national security law and curbed political freedoms. The addition of Young, who retired from New Zealand's Supreme Court in 2022, will bring the number of foreign judges in the financial hub to six, compared with 15 in 2019. Their presence has long been seen as a selling point for foreign companies looking to do business in the former British colony, which has kept its own judiciary since returning to Chinese rule. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who accepted an advisory body's recommendation to appoint Young last month, praised his 'eminent standing and reputation.' 'Their participation demonstrates a high degree of confidence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions,' Lee said of the bench of foreign judges in a statement at the time. Young joins Australian James Allsop, who was appointed last year. Since Beijing announced the national security law in 2020, about half of the CFA's 15 overseas justices from a 2019 peak have either resigned or chosen not to renew their terms. Several, including UK judges Jonathan Sumption and Lawrence Collins, have openly cited political reasons for their departures. In January, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung acknowledged that recruiting suitable overseas judges has become 'less straightforward' due to geopolitical headwinds. He maintained, however, that these departures do not signify a weakening of the judiciary's quality or independence. More stories like this are available on
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Hong Kong bolsters top court with first foreign judge in a year
The addition of Sir William Young will bring the number of foreign judges in Hong Kong to six. PHOTO: COURTS OF NEW ZEALAND Hong Kong bolsters top court with first foreign judge in a year HONG KONG - Hong Kong has appointed a retired New Zealand judge to its top court, the first foreign justice named to the appellate body in over a year following record resignations that threatened to undermine confidence in the judicial system. The city's lawmakers on June 4 approved Sir William Young's appointment as a non-permanent judge at the Court of Final Appeal. The move partly restores overseas judges who quit after Beijing imposed a national security law and curbed political freedoms. The addition of Sir William , who retired from New Zealand's Supreme Court in 2022, will bring the number of foreign judges in the financial hub to six, compared with 15 in 2019. Their presence has long been seen as a selling point for foreign companies looking to do business in the former British colony, which has kept its own judiciary since returning to Chinese rule. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who accepted an advisory body's recommendation to appoint Sir William in May , praised his 'eminent standing and reputation'. 'Their participation demonstrates a high degree of confidence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions,' Mr Lee said of the bench of foreign judges in a statement at the time. Sir William joins Australian James Allsop, who was appointed in 2024 . Since Beijing announced the national security law in 2020, about half of the CFA's 15 overseas justices from a 2019 peak have either resigned or chosen not to renew their terms. Several, including UK judges Jonathan Sumption and Lawrence Collins, have openly cited political reasons for their departures. In January, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung acknowledged that recruiting suitable overseas judges has become 'less straightforward' due to geopolitical headwinds. He maintained, however, that these departures do not signify a weakening of the judiciary's quality or independence. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
