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Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore

Summary

The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the State Courts (known up to 6 March 2014 as the Subordinate Courts) to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases and, in criminal matters, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences if they are convicted.

The Supreme Court Building, designed by Foster and Partners, which commenced operations on 20 June 2005 – photographed in August 2006

In the Supreme Court, the current senior judicial officers are the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who is also the President of the Court of Appeal; the Judge of Appeal Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong who is also the Vice-President; the Judge of Appeal Justices Judith Prakash, Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong; and the judges and judicial commissioners of the High Court. The other judicial officers are the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Deputy Registrar, the Senior Assistant Registrars and the Assistant Registrars.

The State Courts are headed by the Presiding Judge of the State Courts, and the senior judicial officers are the Deputy Presiding Judge, the Senior District Judges, the District Judges and Magistrates. The other judicial officers are the Registrar of the State Courts, the Senior Deputy Registrar, and the Deputy Registrars.

Judicial officers of the Supreme Court edit

 
The former Supreme Court building, officially opened in 1939, housed the Court of Appeal and some of the courtrooms of the High Court until 2005 – photographed in August 2006

The superior courts of Singapore are the Court of Appeal and the High Court, which are collectively known as the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore.

The Court of Appeal is Singapore's highest court. It is headed by a President who is the Chief Justice,[1] and the other members of the Court are the Judges of Appeal. The Chief Justice may appoint one or more of the Judges of Appeal as vice-presidents of the Court of Appeal.[2]

The other senior judicial officers of the Supreme Court are the Judges and Judicial Commissioners of the High Court. The Chief Justice may request a Judge (but not a Judicial Commissioner) of the High Court to sit as a judge of the Court of Appeal, in which case the judge shall have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of a judge of the Court of Appeal.[3]

The Judges of the Supreme Court take precedence in the following order:

  1. the Chief Justice;
  2. the vice-presidents of the Court of Appeal (if any have been appointed) who among themselves shall rank according to the priority of their respective appointments as vice-presidents;
  3. the Judges of Appeal (other than vice-presidents), who among themselves shall rank according to the priority of their respective appointments; and
  4. the Judges of the High Court, who among themselves shall rank according to the priority of their respective appointments.[4]

The other judicial officers are the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, and Assistant Registrars.[5]

The Chief Justice, Judges of Appeal, Judges and Judicial Commissioners edit

Qualifications edit

A person is qualified for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court by being a qualified person within the meaning of section 2 of the Legal Profession Act for at least 10 years,[6] or a member of the Singapore Legal Service, or both.[7]

The Legal Profession Act defines a "qualified person" as any person who —

(a) before 1 May 1993 —
(i) has passed the final examination for the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the University of Malaya in Singapore, the University of Singapore or the National University of Singapore;
(ii) was and still is a barrister-at-law of England or of Northern Ireland or a member of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland;
(iii) was and still is a solicitor in England or Northern Ireland or a writer to the Signet, law agent or solicitor in Scotland; or
(iv) was and still is in possession of such other degree or qualification as may have been declared by the Minister for Law under section 7 of the Act in force immediately before 1 January 1994 and has obtained a certificate from the Board of Legal Education under that section;
(b) on or after 1 May 1993 possesses such qualifications and satisfies such requirements as the Minister may prescribe under section 2(2) of the Act; or
(c) is approved by the Board as a qualified person under section 7.[8]

Appointment edit

The Chief Justice, Judges of Appeal and Judges of the High Court are appointed by the President with concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister.[9] The Prime Minister is required to consult the Chief Justice before providing the president advice as to the appointment of a judge.[10]

In order to facilitate the disposal of business in the Supreme Court, the President concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister, may appoint a person qualified for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court to be a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court for such period or periods as the President thinks fit. A Judicial Commissioner so appointed may, in respect of such class or classes of cases as the Chief Justice may specify, exercise the powers and perform the functions of a Judge of the High Court. Anything done by a Judicial Commissioner when acting in accordance with the terms of the appointment shall have the same validity and effect as if done by a Judge of that Court and, in respect thereof, shall have the same powers and enjoy the same immunities as being a Judge of that Court.[11] A person may be appointed to be a Judicial Commissioner to hear and determine a specified case only.[12]

A person qualified for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court or a person who has ceased to hold the office of a Judge of the Supreme Court (for instance, due to retirement), may be appointed by the Chief Justice, or may sit as a Judge of the High Court or as a Judge of Appeal, if designated for the purpose (as occasion requires), and such person shall hold office for such period or periods as the President shall direct, if the President concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister.[13]

The Chief Justice and every person appointed or designated to sit as a Judge of the High Court or a Judge of Appeal or appointed as a Judicial Commissioner shall take, in the presence of the President, the following Oath of Office:[14]

I, [name], having been appointed to the office of [Chief Justice, Judge of Appeal, Judge or Judicial Commissioner], do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully discharge my judicial duties, and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of the Republic of Singapore without fear or favour, affection or ill-will to the best of my ability, and will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.

Tenure of office edit

A judge of the Supreme Court holds office until one of the following takes place:

  • They die in office.
  • They attain the age of 65 years or such later time not being later than six months after they attain that age, as the President may approve.[15] The validity of anything done by a Judge shall not be questioned on the ground that they had attained the age at which they were required to retire.[16]
  • They resign their office by writing under their hand addressed to the President.[17]
  • If the President removes them from office, on the recommendation of a tribunal appointed by them that the Judge ought to be removed on the ground of misbehaviour or of inability, from infirmity of body or mind or any other cause, to properly discharge the functions of their office.[18] The procedure for the removal of a Judge is as follows:
  1. The Prime Minister, or the Chief Justice after consulting with the Prime Minister, may represent to the President that a Judge ought to be removed on one or more of the above grounds.[18]
  2. The President shall appoint a tribunal and refer the representation of the Prime Minister or Chief Justice to it for its recommendation on the matter. The tribunal shall consist of not less than five persons who hold or have held office as a Judge of the Supreme Court or, if it appears to the President expedient to make such an appointment, persons who hold or have held equivalent office in any part of the Commonwealth. The tribunal is presided over by the member first in the following order: the Chief Justice according to their precedence among themselves and other members according to the order of their appointment to an office qualifying them for membership (the older coming before the younger of two members with appointments of the same date).[19]
  3. Pending any reference and report, the President may, if they, acting in their discretion, concur with the recommendation of the Prime Minister and, in the case of any other Judge, after consulting with the Chief Justice, suspend a Judge of the Supreme Court from the exercise of their functions.[20]

Remuneration edit

Parliament is required by the Constitution to provide for the remuneration of the judges of the Supreme Court,[21] and it has done so by enacting the Judges' Remuneration Act[22] and issuing the Judges' Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order pursuant to the Act.[23] Upon retirement or death in office, a judge may be granted a gratuity granted by the President[24] although there is no entitlement under the Act to such gratuity.[25]

Judicial independence edit

To secure the independence of the judiciary, the Singapore Constitution makes the following provision:

  • The office of a Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be abolished during their continuance in office.[26]
  • A Judge of the Supreme Court holds office until they attain the age of 65 years or such later time not being later than six months after they attain that age, as the President may approve,[15] and may not be removed from office unless the procedure set out in the "Tenure of office" subsection above is followed.[27]
  • The remuneration and other terms of office (including pension rights) of a Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be altered to their disadvantage after their appointment.[28]
  • The conduct of a Judge of the Supreme Court or a person designated to sit as such a Judge or a Judicial Commissioner shall not be discussed in Parliament except on a substantive motion of which notice has been given by not less than one-quarter of the total number of the Members of Parliament.[29]

In addition, the Attorney-General may bring committal proceedings against a person for contempt of court by doing an act or publishing a piece of writing calculated to bring the court or a judge into contempt or to lower their authority (known as "scandalizing" the court or the judge); or calculated to obstruct or interfere with the due course of justice.[30]

At common law, no judge of a superior court or inferior court is liable in damages if acting within jurisdiction, even if they do so maliciously.[31] Further, no judge of a superior court is liable for an act done outside jurisdiction, provided that this was done by the judge in the honest belief that the act was within jurisdiction.[32] Liability only attaches in such cases if the judge knowingly acts outside jurisdiction.[33]

Forms of address edit

The Chief Justice, the Judges and Judicial Commissioners are, when sitting in open court or in chambers, addressed as "Your Honour", and on social occasions or other extrajudicial occasions as "Chief Justice" or "Judge", as the case may be. In all cause lists, orders of Court, correspondence and other documents, the Chief Justice, the Judges and the Judicial Commissioners are described respectively as "Chief Justice", "Justice" or "Judicial Commissioner" without any accompanying gender prefix.[34]

List of judges of the Supreme Court edit

The table below lists the judges that were in office on or after 9 August 1965, the date when Singapore left Malaysia and became an independent republic. Judges currently in office are highlighted.

 
On St. Andrew's Road facing the Padang is City Hall, which was built between 1926 and 1929 and housed 12 courtrooms of the High Court from 1988 to 2005 – photographed in January 2006

Singapore's full independence was effected by three statutes, one enacted by Malaysia and two by Singapore. The Constitution and Malaysia (Singapore Amendment) Act 1965 (Malaysia)[35] effectively transferred all legislative and executive powers previously possessed by the Federal Government to the new Government of Singapore. The Constitution of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1965 (Singapore)[36] amended the Singapore State Constitution to alter the procedure required for constitutional amendment, and changed various nomenclatures to bring the Constitution in line with Singapore's independent status. Finally, the Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 (Singapore)[37] provided, among other things, that certain provisions of the Malaysian Federal Constitution were to apply to Singapore. It also vested the powers relinquished by Malaysian executive and legislature in the executive and legislative branches of the Singapore Government.

However, no changes were immediately made to the judicial system.[38] As a result, for about four years after independence appeals from the High Court of Singapore still lay to the Federal Court of Appeal in Malaysia.

It was only from 9 January 1970,[39] when the Supreme Court of Judicature Act[40] came into force, that Singapore established its own Supreme Court, consisting of a Court of Appeal, Court of Criminal Appeal and High Court. In moving the Second Reading of the Bill in Parliament, the then Minister for Law and National Development, Mr. E.W. Barker, noted that "the Supreme Court of Judicature Bill ... as its very name suggests, provides a proper basis for the administration of justice in our courts which should really have been introduced soon after we left Malaysia. Unfortunately, the many and varied problems which we had to deal with upon leaving Malaysia had forced us to continue with the existing system of administration of justice until the present day. All that the Bill purports to do is to set out logically the consequences that flow from our becoming independent on our own with an independent system of administration of justice separate from the system that was introduced to us while we were part of Malaysia ..."

A shortage of High Court judges led to an amendment to Article 94 of the Constitution in 1971 to permit the appointment of supernumerary judges.[41] These were judges who were engaged to continue their duties on a contractual basis after having reached the constitutionally-mandated retirement age of 65. A subsequent amendment to the Constitution created the position of judicial commissioner.[42] This amendment took effect on 4 May 1979.

In 1993, a single permanent Court of Appeal was established for Singapore with its own President and Judges of Appeal, replacing the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal.[43] The Court of Appeal is constituted by the Chief Justice and the Judges of Appeal. The first Judges of Appeal to be appointed, on 1 July 1993, were the late Justice M. Karthigesu and Justice L.P. Thean.

With effect from 1 January 2015, the Constitution was amended[44] to enable people who have ceased to be judges of the Supreme Court to be appointed as senior judges;[45] and people who, in the Chief Justice's opinion, have the "necessary qualifications, experience and professional standing", to be international judges.[46] Senior judges and international judges may be appointed to hear specific cases or class of cases, or for specified periods.[47] Both senior and international judges may sit in the High Court and the Court of Appeal.[48] The office of international judge was created to enable foreign judges, lawyers and academics to be appointed to hear cases in the Singapore International Commercial Court ("SICC"), a new division of the High Court established on 1 January 2015.[49] At present, international judges are only permitted to hear cases in the SICC and appeals from such cases.[50] From 5 January 2015, five retired judges, including the former Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, were appointed as senior judges, and 11 people were appointed as international judges. Chan will sit both as a Judge of Appeal and as a judge of the SICC.[51]

No. Judge Birth and death dates Term of service
Judicial Commissioner (or Acting Judge) Judge Judge of Appeal (or Federal Judge) Chief Justice Reappointment after retirement
1 Tan Ah Tah
  • 1954 – 1 May 1955 (Acting Judge)
  • 2 May 1955 –
    30 September 1963 (Puisne Judge)
  • 1 August 1963 –
    30 November 1975 (Judge)
  • 1964 – 24 April 1969 (Federal Judge)
  • 18 August 1958 –
    5 January 1959 (Acting Chief Justice)
 —
2 Murray Buttrose
  • 1954 (Acting Judge)
  • 24 December 1956 –
    31 July 1968 (1 July 1965 – 31 July 1968 (Supernumerary Judge)
 — —
  • 25 August 1962 –
    31 July 1968
3 Frederick Arthur Chua 15 May 1913 – 24 January 1994 —
  • 15 February 1957 –
    15 November 1992
 — —
  • 16 November 1978 –
    15 November 1992
4 Wee Chong Jin[52][53] 28 September 1917[52] –
5 June 2005[54] 		— —
  • 5 January 1963 –
    27 September 1990
  • 29 September 1982 –
    27 September 1990
5 James Walter Davy Ambrose —
  • 15 May 1958 –
    1 March 1968
 — — —
6 Alfred Victor Winslow —
  • 1 October 1962 –
    5 April 1977
 — — —
7 Thilliampalam Kulasekaram 1919–7 March 1988[55] —
  • 28 August 1963 –
    17 June 1984
 — — —
8 Choor Singh 19 January 1911[56] – 31 March 2009[57] —
  • 28 August 1963 –
    30 November 1980
 — —
  • 20 July 1976 –
    30 November 1980
9 Denis Cosmas D'Cotta Died 1983[58] —
  • 1 March 1970 –
    28 February 1981
 — —
  • 2 March 1976 –
    28 February 1981
10 Arumugam Ponnu Rajah 7 July 1911 –
28 September 1999 		—
  • 1 October 1976 –
    28 September 1999
 — — —
11 T. S. Sinnathuray 22 September 1930 –
18 January 2016[59] 		—
  • 2 October 1978 –
    22 September 1997
 — —
  • 23 September 1995 –
    22 September 1997
12 Abdul Wahab Ghows[60] 30 January 1921 [61]–
27 January 1997[62] 		—
  • 3 January 1981 –
    2 October 1986
 — —
13 Lai Kew Chai 7 February 1941[63] –
27 February 2006[64] 		—
  • 1 July 1981 –
    7 February 2006[64]
 — — —
13 Thean Lip Ping (L. P. Thean) 23 February 1933 - 12 January 2024[65] —
  • 1 February 1984 –
    30 June 1993
  • 1 July 1993 –
    23 February 2002
 —
  • 24 February 1998 –
    23 February 2002
15 Punch Coomaraswamy Died 9 January 1999 —
  • 10 September 1984 –
    30 September 1993
 — —
  • 17 October 1990 –
    30 September 1993
16 Chan Sek Keong Born 5 November 1937[66]
  • 1 July 1986 –
    30 June 1988
  • 1 July 1988 –
    3 April 1992
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2018[51]
  • 11 April 2006 –
    5 November 2012[67]
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2018 (senior judge)[51]
17 Joseph Grimberg 8 April 1933 –
17 August 2017[68]
  • 2 November 1987 –
    5 November 1988;
  • 2 January 1989 –
    2 January 1990
 — — — —
18 Chao Hick Tin Born 27 September 1942[69]
  • 1 October 1987 –
    14 November 1990
  • 15 November 1990 –
    1 August 1999
  • 2 August 1999 –
    10 April 2006[70]
  • 11 April 2008[71] –
    27 September 2017
    (Vice-President, Court of Appeal from 18 April 2008)[69][72][73]
 —
  • 11 April 2008[74] –
    27 September 2017[69][73]
  • 5 January 2018 –
    4 January 2021 (senior judge)
19 Tan Teow Yeow 1946? – 6 August 2008[75]
  • 15 March 1989 –
    15 March 1991
 — — — —
20 Yong Pung How 11 April 1926 – 9 January 2020 —
  • 1 July 1989 –
    27 September 1990
 —
  • 28 September 1990 –
    10 April 2006
  • 12 April 1991 –
    10 April 2006[76]
21 Mootatamby Karthigesu 1923 –
21 July 1999
  • 5 June 1990 –
    14 November 1990
  • 15 November 1990 –
    30 June 1993
  • 1 July 1993 –
    21 July 1999
 — —
22 Rajendran s/o Sinnathamby
  • 1 September 1990 –
    31 December 1990
  • 1 January 1991 –
    22 October 2003
 — — —
23 Goh Joon Seng
  • 1935 –
    15 June 2021[77]
  • 1 October 1990 –
    14 November 1990
  • 15 November 1990 –
    21 March 2000
 — — —
24 Goh Phai Cheng
  • 14 January 1991 –
    14 January 1994
 — — — —
25 Govinda Pannirselvam
  • 1 March 1991 –
    28 February 1994
  • 1 March 1994 –
    7 July 2001
 — — —
26 Mohideen M.P. Haja Rubin
  • 1 March 1991 –
    28 February 1994
  • 1 March 1994 –
    3 February 2005[78]
 — — —
27 Kan Ting Chiu Born 27 August 1946[79]
  • 2 May 1991 –
    1 May 1994
 — —
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2018 (senior judge)[51]
28 Lai Siu Chiu Born 1948?[81]
  • 2 May 1991 –
    1 May 1994
  • 2 May 1994 –
    30 October 2013[81]
 — —
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2021 (senior judge)[51]
28 K. S. Rajah 2 March 1930 – 17 June 2010[82]
  • 15 May 1991 –
    2 March 1995[83]
 — — —
  • 15 May 1994 –
    2 March 1995
29 Michael Hwang
  • 1 June 1991 –
    31 December 1992
 — — —
30 Warren L. H. Khoo —
  • 1 June 1991 –
    13 August 1999
 — — —
31 Amarjeet Singh s/o Jeswent Singh
  • 2 January 1992 –
    1 January 2001
 — — — —
32 Teong Quee Lim
  • 1 April 1992 –
    29 October 2000
 — — — —
33 Judith Prakash Born 19 December 1951
  • 1 April 1992 –
    31 March 1995
  • 1 April 1995 –
    31 July 2016
  • 1 August 2016[84] –
    present
 —
  • 19 December 2016 – 18 December 2021
34 Choo Han Teck Born 21 February 1954
  • 1 April 1995 –
    1 January 2003
  • 2 January 2003 –
    present
 — —
  • 21 February 2019 – 20 February 2021
35 Christopher Lau Loke Sam
  • 2 May 1995 –
    1 May 1998
 — — — —
36 Chelva Ratnam Rajah
  • 1 July 1995 –
    30 June 1997
 — — — —
37 Tan Lee Meng Born 7 July 1948[85]
  • 2 February 1997 –
    31 July 1997
  • 1 August 1997 –
    7 July 2013[85]
 — —
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2018 (senior judge)[51]
38 Chan Seng Onn Born 4 January 1954
  • 15 October 1997 –
    14 October 2000
  • 2 July 2007[86] –
    present
 — —
  • 4 January 2019 – 3 January 2021
39 Lee Seiu Kin Born 30 January 1954[87]
  • 15 October 1997 –
    14 October 2002
  • 11 April 2006 –
    present
 — —
  • 30 January 2019 – 29 January 2021
40 Tay Yong Kwang Born 1956
  • 15 October 1997 –
    1 January 2003
  • 2 January 2003 –
    31 July 2016
  • 1 August 2016[84] –
    present
 — —
41 Woo Bih Li Born 31 December 1954
  • 2 May 2000 –
    1 January 2003
  • 2 January 2003 –
    present
 — —
  • 31 December 2019 – 30 December 2021
42 Belinda Ang Saw Ean Born 24 April 1954
  • 1 February 2002 –
    1 January 2003
  • 2 January 2003 –
    present
 — —
  • 24 April 2019 – 23 April 2021
43 V. K. Rajah Born 14 January 1957[88]
  • 2 January 2004 –
    31 October 2004
  • 1 November 2004 –
    10 April 2007
 — —
44 Andrew Phang Born 1958?[91]
  • 3 January 2005 –
    7 December 2005
  • 8 December 2005 –
    27 February 2006
  • 28 February 2006 –
    present (Vice-President, Court of Appeal from 28 September 2017)
 — —
45 Andrew Ang Born 25 February 1946[92]
  • 15 May 2004 –
    14 May 2005
  • 15 May 2005 –
    25 February 2014
 — —
  • 26 February 2011 –
    25 February 2014[93]
  • 5 January 2015 –
    4 January 2021 (senior judge)[51]
46 Sundaresh Menon Born 1962[87] —
  • 1 August 2012[96] –
    5 November 2012
  • 6 November 2012[67] –
    present
 —
47 Quentin Loh Born 24 December 1950
  • 1 September 2009[97][98] –
    31 May 2010
  • 1 June 2010[99] –
    24 December 2020
 — —
  • 25 December 2015 –
    24 December 2020
48 Steven Chong Born 1958[100]
  • 1 April 2017 –
    present
 — —
49 Philip Nalliah Pillai Born 12 December 1947[103] — — —
50 Vinodh Coomaraswamy Born 1965[96]
  • 1 August 2012[96] –
    23 June 2013
  • 24 June 2013[104] –
    present
 — — —
51 Lionel Yee Born 1966?[105] — — — —
52 George Wei Born 1955?[107]
  • 25 May 2015 –
    31 July 2018
 — — —
53 Edmund Leow Born 1963?[110]
  • 1 October 2013 –
    30 September 2016[108]
 — — — —
54 Tan Siong Thye Born 22 June 1954[111]
  • 1 July 2014[102] –
    1 February 2015
  • 1 April 2017 –
    present
 — —
  • 22 June 2019 – 21 June 2021
55 Lee Kim Shin Born 1960?[111] — — — —
56 See Kee Oon Born 1967?[69]
  • 14 April 2014[69][73] –
    30 January 2017
  • 31 January 2017[114] –
    present
 — — —
57 Valerie Thean Born 1969?[115]
  • 30 September 2014 –
    29 September 2017[115]
  • 30 September 2017 – present[116]
 — — —
58 Aedit Abdullah Born 1970?[115]
  • 17 November 2014 –
    29 September 2017[115]
  • 30 September 2017 – present[116]
 — — —
59 Hoo Sheau Peng Born 1970?[115]
  • 30 September 2014 –
    29 September 2017[115]
  • 30 September 2017 – present[116]
 — — —
60 Debbie Ong Born 1966?[115]
  • 17 November 2014 –
    29 September 2017[115]
  • 30 September 2017 – present[116]
 — — —
61 Chua Lee Ming Born 1960?
  • 1 February 2015[51] –
    30 January 2017
  • 31 January 2017[114] – present
 — — —
62 Foo Chee Hock Born 1961?
  • 1 April 2015 –
    31 March 2018[51]
 — — — —
63 Kannan Ramesh Born 1966?
  • 22 May 2015 –
    31 March 2017[117]
  • 1 April 2017 –
    present
 — — —
64 Foo Tuat Yien Born 1954?
  • 25 May 2015 – 24 May 2018[118]
 — — — —
65 Pang Khang Chau Born 1971?
  • 1 August 2016 – 31 July 2019[84]
  • 1 August 2019 –
    present
 — — —
66
 Audrey Lim
  • 1 August 2016 – 31 July 2019[84]
  • 1 August 2019 –
    present
 — — —

Judicial officers currently in office are highlighted: judges and judicial commissioners in yellow, and senior judges in green.

Notes
  • Chan Sek Keong was the first person to be appointed a Judicial Commissioner on 1 July 1986.[119] He served as Attorney-General between 1 May 1992 and 10 April 2006 before he was appointed as Chief Justice on 11 April 2006. In August 2008 he became the first Singaporean and local law graduate to become an honorary bencher of Lincoln's Inn.[66]
  • Chan Seng Onn was appointed Solicitor-General on 1 June 2001.[86]
  • The first woman judge, Lai Siu Chiu, was appointed on 2 May 1994.
  • Wee Chong Jin was Singapore's first Asian Chief Justice and, having been appointed at the age of 45 years, also the youngest. In addition, having held the post for over 27 years, he was the longest-serving Chief Justice in Singapore and in a Commonwealth country.[52]

The Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, and Assistant Registrars edit

Qualifications edit

For a person to be appointed to be or to act as the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar or an Assistant Registrar, they must be a qualified person as defined in section 2 of the Legal Profession Act (see above).[120]

Appointment edit

The Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chief Justice.[121] These judicial officers are members of the Judicial Branch of the Singapore Legal Service, and it is the duty of the Legal Service Commission to appoint, confirm, emplace on the permanent or pensionable establishment, promote, transfer, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over such officers.[122][123]

As of 15 April 2009 the Registrar is Foo Chee Hock, while the Deputy Registrar is Audrey Lim Yoon Cheng.[124]

Protection edit

The Registrar, the Deputy Registrar or an Assistant Registrar or other person acting judicially shall not be liable to be sued in any court exercising civil jurisdiction for any act done by them in the discharge of their judicial duty whether or not within the limits of their jurisdiction, provided that they at the time in good faith believed themself to have jurisdiction to do or order the act complained of.[125]

Judicial officers of the State Courts edit

 
The State Courts Complex at Havelock Square, which houses the District Courts and Magistrates' Courts
 
The Family and Juvenile Courts of Singapore are located in the former Ministry of Labour building, also in Havelock Square – both photographed in June 2006

The State Courts of Singapore are the District Courts, Magistrates' Courts, Coroners' Courts, Small Claims Tribunals and Employment Claims Tribunals.[126]

The most senior judge of the State Courts is the Presiding Judge, who is a judge or judicial commissioner of the Supreme Court appointed by the President, acting on the advice of the Cabinet and upon the Chief Justice's recommendation.[127] They have overall responsibility for the administration of the State Courts. The Presiding Judge may act as a judge in any State Court and exercise all the jurisdiction, power and privileges of a State Courts judge, while also sitting in the High Court or Court of Appeal.[128] Justice See Kee Oon was appointed as Presiding Judge in 2014. The Presiding Judge is assisted by a Deputy Presiding Judge, who is also the Registrar of the State Courts. The other senior judicial officers are the principal district judges.[129]

Qualifications edit

For a person to be appointed to be or to act as a District Judge, they must have been for not less than seven years a qualified person as defined in section 2 of the Legal Profession Act (see above).[130] For a Magistrate, the corresponding period is three years.[131]

The Registrar, Senior Deputy Registrar and Deputy Registrars are generally also required to be qualified persons within the meaning of the Legal Profession Act, although they are not required to have that status for any minimum period of time. However, the Chief Justice may, at their discretion, appoint any person who is not a qualified person under that Act.[132]

Appointment edit

District Judges and Magistrates are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chief Justice.[133] They hold concurrent appointments as the Registrar, Deputy Registrars, Coroners, and Referees of the Small Claims Tribunals. The Registrar, Senior Deputy Registrar and Deputy Registrars are appointed by the Chief Justice.[134] District Judges, Magistrates and State Courts registrars are officers of the Judicial Branch of the Singapore Legal Service and are subject to the control of the Legal Service Commission.[123]

Before exercising the functions of their office, all judicial officers must take and subscribe the following oath of office and allegiance before the Senior District Judge or a Judge of the Supreme Court:[135]

I, [name], having been appointed to the office of [Senior District Judge, District Judge, Magistrate, Registrar or Deputy Registrar], do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully discharge my judicial duties and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of the Republic of Singapore without fear or favour, affection or ill-will to the best of my ability, and I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Singapore.

Protection edit

Judicial officers are not liable to be sued for any act done by them in the discharge of their judicial duty whether or not within the limits of their jurisdiction, provided that they at the time in good faith believed themselves to have jurisdiction to do or order the act complained of.[136]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322, 1999 Rev. Ed.) ("SCJA"), s. 29(4).
  2. ^ SCJA, s. 29(2).
  3. ^ SCJA, s. 29(3).
  4. ^ SCJA, s. 4.
  5. ^ SCJA, s. 61.
  6. ^ Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161, 2001 Rev. Ed.).
  7. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (1985 Rev. Ed., 1999 Reprint), Art. 96.
  8. ^ Legal Profession Act, section 2(1).
  9. ^ Constitution, Art. 95(1).
  10. ^ Constitution, Art. 95(2).
  11. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(4).
  12. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(5).
  13. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(3).
  14. ^ Constitution, Art. 97 and paragraph 6 of the First Schedule.
  15. ^ a b Singapore Constitution, Art. 98(1).
  16. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(9).
  17. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(2).
  18. ^ a b Singapore Constitution, Art. 98(3).
  19. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(4).
  20. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(5).
  21. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(6).
  22. ^ Judges' Remuneration Act (Cap. 147, 1995 Rev. Ed.).
  23. ^ Judges' Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order (Cap. 147, Order 1).
  24. ^ Section 4 Judges Remuneration Act
  25. ^ Section 4(5) Judges Remuneration Act]
  26. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(2).
  27. ^ Constitution, Art.s 98(3), (4) and (5).
  28. ^ Constitution, Art. 98(8).
  29. ^ Constitution, Art. 99.
  30. ^ Attorney-General v. Pang Cheng Lian [1972–1974] S.L.R. [Singapore Law Reports] 658, High Court (Singapore); Attorney-General v. Wong Hong Toy [1982–1983] S.L.R. 398, High Court (Singapore): see Kevin Y[ew] L[ee] Tan; Thio Li-ann (1997), Tan, Yeo & Lee's Constitutional Law in Malaysia and Singapore (2nd ed.), Singapore: Butterworths Asia, pp. 362–394, ISBN 978-0-409-99908-2.
  31. ^ Sirros v. Moore [1975] Q.B. 118 at 131–133; Re McC (a minor) [1985] A.C. 528 at 540–541.
  32. ^ Sirros v. Moore at 134–135; Re McC at 541, 550.
  33. ^ Sirros v. Moore at 136, 149; Re McC at 540. See P[aul] P. Craig (2003), Administrative Law (5th ed.), London: Sweet & Maxwell, p. 921, ISBN 978-0-421-79920-2.
  34. ^ Supreme Court Practice Directions Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (as at 21 March 2007), paragraph 16.
  35. ^ No. 53 of 1965 (Malaysia).
  36. ^ No. 8 of 1965 (Singapore).
  37. ^ Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 (No. 9 of 1965, 1985 Rev. Ed.).
  38. ^ The Republic of Singapore Independence Act, section 11 (entitled "Temporary provision as to jurisdiction and procedure of Singapore Courts"), stated: "Until other provision is made by the Legislature, the jurisdiction, original or appellate, and the practice and procedure of the High Court and the State Courts of Singapore shall be the same as that exercised and followed immediately before Singapore Day, and appeals from the High Court shall continue to lie to the Federal Court of Malaysia and to the Privy Council."
  39. ^ Supreme Court of Judicature (Commencement) Notification 1970 (S 15/1970).
  40. ^ No. 24 of 1969, now the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322, 2007 Rev. Ed.) ("SCJA").
  41. ^ No. 16 of 1971, which came into force on 19 November 1971.
  42. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1979 (No. 10 of 1979).
  43. ^ See the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1993 (No. 17 of 1993) and the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1993 (No. 16 of 1993), which came into force on 1 July 1993.
  44. ^ By the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 2014 (No. 39 of 2014).
  45. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(4)(b).
  46. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(4)(c).
  47. ^ Constitution, Arts. 94(5) and (9).
  48. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(6).
  49. ^ SCJA, ss. 18A–M, inserted by the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 2014 (No. 42 of 2014).
  50. ^ Constitution, Art. 94(10); SCJA, s. 5A.
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  76. ^ Arti Mulchand (4 April 2006), "Jaya credits Chief Justice Yong for model judiciary: Law Minister also pays tribute to incoming Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong", The Straits Times.
  77. ^ "Former Supreme Court judge Goh Joon Seng dies, aged 86". The Straits Times. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  78. ^ a b c d Former Judges of the Republic of Singapore, Supreme Court of Singapore, 13 December 2012, archived from the original on 29 March 2012.
  79. ^ Retirement of High Court Judge, Justice Kan Ting Chiu, Supreme Court of Singapore, 26 August 2011, archived from the original on 29 March 2012.
  80. ^ Selina Lum (2 September 2011), "Justice Kan retires from public service", The Straits Times, p. B11.
  81. ^ a b Retirement of High Court Judge and the First Female Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Lai Siu Chiu, Supreme Court of Singapore, 30 October 2013, archived from the original on 5 November 2013; Jalelah Abu Baker (30 October 2013), "Trailblazing female judge retires today", The Straits Times, p. B4; "S'pore's first woman judge retires", Today, p. 28, 30 October 2013, archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  82. ^ "K.S. Rajah retires from the Bench", The Straits Times, 3 March 1995; K.C. Vijayan (18 June 2010), "Late lawyer 'flew the flag for underdogs': K.S. Rajah worked on many landmark cases in 40-year career and was lauded for his integrity", The Straits Times (reproduced on the Singapore Law Watch website), p. A24, archived from the original on 19 June 2010.
  83. ^ "K.S. Rajah appointed as Supreme Court judicial commissioner", The Straits Times, 14 May 1991; "K.S. Rajah retires from the Bench", The Straits Times, 3 March 1995.
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  89. ^ a b Lim Yan Liang (29 April 2014), "Justice V. K. Rajah to take over as Attorney-General in June", The Straits Times.
  90. ^ Neo Chai Chin (29 April 2014), "Justice V K Rajah appointed Attorney-General", Today, p. 1; "New A-G sworn in", The Straits Times, 26 June 2014.
  91. ^ Selina Lum (28 February 2006), "New Judge of Appeal from today", The Straits Times.
  92. ^ Retirement of High Court Judge, Justice Andrew Ang, Supreme Court of Singapore, 25 February 2014, archived from the original on 8 March 2014; Ian Poh (26 February 2014), "High Court judge retires from bench: Justice Andrew Ang leaves after decade of distinguished service", The Straits Times, p. B6, The judge, who turned 68 yesterday, added he was honoured to have been able to serve on the bench..
  93. ^ Re-appointment of Andrew Ang as High Court Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore, 28 February 2011, archived from the original on 29 March 2012.
  94. ^ "New Judicial Commissioner sworn in", The Straits Times, 4 April 2006.
  95. ^ Sundaresh Menon SC, Rajah & Tann LLP, 2007, archived from the original on 15 July 2011, retrieved 28 October 2008.
  96. ^ a b c d K.C. Vijayan (1 June 2012), "Changes in Appeal Court, A-G Chambers", The Straits Times, p. A1; Teo Xuanwei (1 June 2012), "A-G to be appointed appeal judge: As Justice Steven Chong succeeds Mr Sundaresh Menon, lawyers are divided over implications of shorter tenures", Today, p. 2, archived from the original on 5 June 2012; Appointment of Mr Sundaresh Menon, S.C. as Judge of Appeal: Fact Sheet (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, 31 May 2012, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2012.
  97. ^ a b c Chen Huifen (20 August 2009), "Three leading lawyers named judicial commissioners", The Business Times, archived from the original on 20 August 2009; Selina Lum (20 August 2009), "3 senior lawyers appointed judicial commissioners", The Straits Times, p. B4.
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  101. ^ a b "2 new judicial commissioners", The Straits Times, p. C6, 2 October 2009.
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  105. ^ a b Ian Poh (16 January 2013), "Second Solicitor-General appointed Judicial Commissioner", The Straits Times, p. A9.
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  121. ^ SCJA, s. 61(1).
  122. ^ Constitution, Art. 111(3).
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  124. ^ SCJA, s. 79(1).
  125. ^ State Courts Act (Cap. 321, 2007 Rev. Ed.) ("SCA"), s. 3(1).
  126. ^ SCA, s. 8A(1).
  127. ^ SCA, ss. 8A(2) and (3).
  128. ^ Court Governance and Administration: Our Organisation Structure, State Courts of Singapore, 1 February 2017, archived from the original on 22 February 2017.
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  130. ^ SCA, s. 10(2). However, people may be appointed as District Judges and Magistrates if they have been for not less than five years and one year respectively qualified persons as defined in the Legal Profession Act, and the Chief Justice, having regard to their qualifications and experience, is of the opinion that they are suitable to be appointed: SCA, ss 9(3A) and 10(3).
  131. ^ SCA, s. 12(2).
  132. ^ SCA, ss. 9(1) and 10(1).
  133. ^ SCA, s. 12(1).
  134. ^ SCA, ss. 17(1) and 17(2) and para. 1 of the Schedule.
  135. ^ SCA, s. 68(1).
  • Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (1985 Rev. Ed., 1999 Reprint).
  • State Courts Act (Cap. 321, 2007 Rev. Ed.) ("SCA").
  • Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322, 2007 Rev. Ed.) ("SCJA").
  • Hoo, Sheau Peng (29 March 2010), Registrar's Circular No. 1 of 2010: Notification of Changes in Designation (PDF), State Courts of Singapore, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011.
  • Tan, Kevin Y[ew] L[ee]; Thio, Li-ann (1997), Tan, Yeo & Lee's Constitutional Law in Malaysia and Singapore (2nd ed.), Singapore: Butterworths Asia, ISBN 978-0-409-99908-2.

Further reading edit

Supreme Court edit

  • Hall of Justice : Supreme Court Singapore. Singapore: Supreme Court, Republic of Singapore. 2006. ISBN 981-05-5356-0. OCLC 69811627.
  • Supreme Court Singapore: Excellence into the Next Millennium, Singapore: Supreme Court, Singapore, 1999, ISBN 978-981-04-1266-1.
  • Supreme Court Singapore: The Re-organisation of the 1990s, Singapore: Supreme Court, Singapore, 1994, ISBN 978-9971-88-426-0.
  • Yee, Sze Thian; Chin, Chin Chong; Lim, Sharon (2002). In session : Supreme Court Singapore : the building, her heritage and her people. Singapore: Supreme Court. ISBN 981-04-7671-X. OCLC 52120826.
  • Yong, Pung How (1996), Hoo, Sheau Peng [et al.] (ed.), Speeches and Judgments of Chief Justice Yong Pung How, Singapore: FT Law & Tax Asia Pacific, ISBN 978-981-3069-07-7.

State Courts edit

  • Khoo, Oon Soo (1985), Brief History of the Subordinate Courts, Singapore, Singapore: O.S. Khoo. Available in the National University of Singapore Central Library and C.J. Koh Law Library.
  • Koh, Daniel, ed. committee chairman (1997), Singapore Subordinate Courts: Excellence and Beyond, Singapore: State Courts of Singapore, ISBN 978-9971-88-540-3{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link).

External links edit

  • Official website of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore
    • Information about Judges, Judicial Commissioners and Registrars
  • Official website of the State Courts of the Republic of Singapore
  • Official website of the Legal Service Commission of Singapore

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