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75-569: High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Download coordinates as: The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region , colloquially known as LegCo ,

150-600: A barrister , advocate , solicitor or judicial officer in Hong Kong or another common law jurisdiction is eligible to be appointed as the Registrar or a Master. Full-time Judges and Recorders , as well as the Registrar and Masters, are appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the independent Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC). Part-time Deputy Judges are appointed on

225-482: A Deputy High Court Judge and High Court Master, also sits as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam. Recorders of the court of first instance of the high court are practitioners in private practice (in practice, Senior Counsel ) who are appointed for a fixed term of a few years and sit for a few weeks in a year. Recorders may exercise all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of

300-599: A Justice of Appeal in 2000. In 2019, Madam Justice Susan Kwan was the first woman to be appointed as Vice President of the Court of Appeal. The current full-time judges of the High Court (as at 9 August 2024) are (ranked according to the priority of their respective appointments; Senior Counsels indicated by an asterisk *): Chief Judge of the High Court Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of

375-676: A case in a courtroom situated in the District Court building. This is similar to England , where the High Court sometimes sits outside London in County Courts which act as High Court District Registries. In the Jimmy Lai case, the prosecution asked the High Court for an adjournment from 1 December 2022 to 8 December 2022; the High Court added a few more days and adjourned it until 13 December 2022. On 13 December 2022,

450-587: A daily rate of HK$ 11,765. The retirement age of full-time High Court Judges is 70. However, the term of office can be extended further up to the age of 75. The Chief Judge of the High Court is the Court Leader of the High Court and the President of the Court of Appeal. The Chief Judge is responsible for the administration of the High Court and is accountable to the Chief Justice , who is head of

525-661: A district magnitude of 2 ("binomial system"). The binomial system was instituted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in its amendment to Annex 2 of the Basic Law on 30 March 2021. Geographical constituencies were first introduced in Hong Kong's first legislative election with direct elections in 1991 . The electoral system and boundaries of GCs have since changed: ( Largest remainder method : Hare quota ) Between 1998 and 2016,

600-519: A full-time Judge of the Court of First Instance receives a monthly salary of HK$ 292,650, while a Justice of Appeal receives a monthly salary of HK$ 307,050. The Chief Judge of the High Court receives a monthly salary of HK$ 340,600. Further, full-time Judges are provided with housing in Judiciary Quarters or, alternatively, a housing allowance at HK$ 163,525 per month. As of 1 April 2020, Recorders and Deputy High Court Judges receive honoraria at

675-461: A full-time Judge of the Court of First Instance. The recordership scheme was introduced in 1994 to encourage experienced practitioners who are willing to sit as a High Court Judge for a few weeks every year, but are not prepared to commit themselves to a permanent, full-time appointment. It was intended to act as a more formal system of appointment compared to the more ad hoc nature of appointment of Deputy High Court Judges. The current Recorders of

750-538: A member is constitutionally four years except for the first term (1998 to 2000) which was set to be two years according to Article 69 of the Basic Law . The 6th Legislative Council 's term of office of over five years from 2016 is in direct violation of Article 69 of the Basic Law. In both the 2008 and 2004 elections, 30 members were directly elected by universal suffrage from geographical constituencies (GCs) and 30 were elected from functional constituencies (FCs). In

825-453: A political party is acceptable). All High Court Judges (regardless of whether they are full-time Judges, Recorders or Deputy Judges on temporary appointment) are addressed in court as "My Lord" or "My Lady". In court judgments and decisions, Vice Presidents of the Court of Appeal are referred to as '[surname] VP' or '[surname] V-P' (or in the plural as '[surname] and [surname] V-PP'). Justices of Appeal are referred to as '[surname] JA' (or in

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900-670: A retired High Court Judge, District Judge or magistrate as Chairman of the Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions (currently Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee ). In addition, it is a statutory requirement that the Chief Executive appoint a serving or retired High Court Judge or Deputy High Court Judge to chair the Market Misconduct Tribunal (MMT) and the Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal (SFAT). At present, Mr Justice Lunn (former Vice President of

975-558: A single Judge, though important cases may be heard by a bench consisting of more than one Judge, although this is very rare. This practice is similar to the English High Court , where important cases may be heard by a divisional court consisting of a three- or two-member bench. All judges of the Court of First Instance also serve as members of the Competition Tribunal. The President and Deputy President of

1050-600: A temporary basis by the Chief Justice . It is not uncommon for a person to sit as a Recorder or Deputy High Court Judge prior to appointment as a full-time High Court Judge. Newly-appointed High Court judges with previous service as the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Department of Justice are subject to a 'sanitisation' period of 6 months upon appointment. During this period, the judge does not deal with any criminal trials or appeals or any civil cases involving

1125-547: Is a statutory requirement that the Chief Executive appoint a serving or retired High Court judge to be Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance (currently Mr Justice Suffiad). The Chief Executive also appoints three to six Judges of the Court of First Instance (currently Mr Justice Fung , Mr Justice Bharwaney and Madam Justice Lisa Wong) on the recommendation of the Chief Justice to serve as panel judges handling interception and surveillance authorisation requests from law enforcement agencies. Further, it

1200-498: Is a statutory requirement that the Chief Executive appoint at least 2 serving or retired High Court Judges as members of the Long-term Prison Sentences Review Board. At present, Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee and Mr Justice Wilson Chan are President and Deputy President respectively of the Long-term Prison Sentences Review Board. It is also a statutory requirement that the Chief Executive appoint

1275-563: Is a statutory requirement that the Electoral Affairs Commission be headed by a chairman who is a High Court judge (currently Mr Justice Lok) appointed by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Chief Justice . The Electoral Affairs Commission must appoint a Judge of the Court of Final Appeal or a High Court Judge to act as returning officer for elections for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong . Similarly, it

1350-568: Is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong . It sits under China's " one country, two systems " constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong's hybrid representative democracy , though popular representation in the legislature has diminished significantly in recent years, along with its political diversity. The functions of the Legislative Council are to enact, amend or repeal laws; examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure; and raise questions on

1425-853: The 1995 elected colonial legislature , the government of China, through the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), unilaterally established, in 1996, the Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) in Shenzhen, under the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China . The Provisional Legislative Council, seen as unconstitutional by the British authorities and boycotted by most pro-democracy legislators ,

1500-744: The Civic Party . In the 2004 election , the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) surpassed the Democrats as the largest party for the first time and has since held its superior status. Due to the indirectly elected trade-based functional constituencies which largely favour business interests — represented by the Liberal Party and subsequently the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) —

1575-708: The Executive Council of Hong Kong is still composed of ex officio Members (Official Members since 1997) and Unofficial Members (Non-official Members since 1997). One of the Non-official Members is appointed by the Chief Executive (until 1997 the Governor) as the Convenor (until 1994 the senior unofficial member ). This article about the three branches of government in Hong Kong

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1650-590: The Judiciary . The Chief Judge must be a Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident with no right of abode in any foreign country. The Judges who have held the position of Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong to date are: For pre-1997 Chief Justices, see: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong Full-time High Court judges are given the prefix 'the Honourable' and referred to as 'Mr/Madam/Mrs Justice [surname]'. The Chief Judge of

1725-438: The first direct elections of the Legislative Council held in 1991. The Legislative Council became a fully elected legislature for the first time in 1995 and extensively expanded its functions and organisations throughout the last years of the colonial rule. The People's Republic of China government did not agree with reforms to the Legislative Council enacted by the last Governor Chris Patten in 1994. Therefore, it withdrew

1800-418: The president of the Legislative Council being ranked first. Members who did not serve throughout the term are italicised . Supplementary members elected in by-elections are listed below. Key to changes since legislative election: The Geographical Constituency (GC) seats are returned by universal suffrage . 20 seats of the Legislative Council are returned by GCs through single non-transferable vote with

1875-417: The pro-Beijing camp since an opposition walkout in 2020. The 2021 changes resulted in a drop in the share of directly elected representatives from 50% to 22% and an increase in the overall number of seats from 70 to 90, along with the establishment of a screening committee to vet candidates. The original two groups (GCs and FCs) had constitutional significance. Government bills requires a simple majority of

1950-491: The 1843 Charter as an advisory council to the Governor . The authority of the colonial legislature expanded throughout its history. A parallel Provisional Legislative Council was put in place by China from 1996 to 1998 to pass laws in anticipation of the Hong Kong handover. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 for the first time as a colonial legislature under British rule. Hong Kong's first constitution, in

2025-495: The 1843 charter, added the significant words "and consent" after the words "with the advice". The Legislative Council was initially set up as the advisory body to the governor, and for most of the time, consisted half of official members, who were the government officials seated in the council, and half of unofficial members who were appointed by the Governor . After the Sino-British Joint Declaration

2100-436: The 1997 handover, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) disqualified two pro-independence legislators from assuming public office pursuant to Article 104 . Four more pro-democracy and localist legislators were unseated in subsequent court cases. Returning officers also disqualified certain candidates who had advocated for Hong Kong self-determination, with or without option for independence, from running in

2175-468: The 2000 election, 24 were directly elected, six elected from an 800-member electoral college known as the Election Committee of Hong Kong , and 30 elected from FCs. Since the 2004 election, all the seats are equally divided between geographical and functional constituencies. According to The Basic Law, while the method for forming the Legislative Council shall be specified in accordance with

2250-713: The Beijing-controlled Election Committee and 30 seats would remain trade-based functional constituencies, reducing the proportion of directly elected seats from 50% to 22%. Additionally all candidates must now be approved by the unelected HKSAR government via the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee. This has led to all parties that are not pro-Beijing declining to run in the elections, as it is now reasonable to assume that any pro-democracy candidates fielded that might be electable will be disqualified prior to

2325-577: The Chamber, major conference rooms, and communal facilities such as library, cafeteria and education facilities. The range of education facilities for visit by the public includes video corner, visitors' sharing area, exhibition area, children's corner, viewing gallery and access corridors, memory lane, education activities rooms and education galleries. The high block, which will be named as the Office Block, mainly houses offices for members and staff of

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2400-595: The Competition Tribunal (currently Mr Justice Harris and Madam Justice Au-Yeung respectively) are appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. The President of the Lands Tribunal must be a High Court Judge (currently Madam Justice Lisa Wong) and is appointed by the Chief Executive . High Court judges also serve a number of other public service roles. It

2475-486: The Court of Appeal of Brunei Darussalam (Mr Justice Burrell, who is the President of the Brunei Court of Appeal, and Mr Justice Seagroatt and Mr Justice Lunn , who are Justices of Appeal); two retired Hong Kong High Court Judges sit as Judicial Commissioners of the High Court of Brunei Darussalam (Mr Justice Findlay and Mr Justice Lugar-Mawson). Another retired Hong Kong Judge, Edward Woolley, who previously sat as

2550-581: The Court of Appeal), Mr Justice Hartmann (former Justice of Appeal), Kenneth Kwok SC (former Recorder of the Court of First Instance) and Judge Tallentire (former Deputy High Court Judge) are Chairmen of the MMT and SFAT. The Chief Executive may appoint a High Court judge to lead a public inquiry. For example, Mr Justice Andrew Chan was appointed in 2015 as Chairman of the Inquiry into incidents of excess lead found in drinking water , and Mr Justice Lunn, JA

2625-497: The Court of First Instance of the High Court (as at 1 August 2024) are (ranked according to the priority of their respective appointments): The Chief Justice appoints on a temporary basis a number of serving full-time District Court Judges, retired High Court Judges and practitioners in private practice (in general, barristers who are Senior Counsel or solicitors who are senior partners with litigation experience) to sit as part-time Deputy High Court Judges. Before 1983,

2700-1074: The French Mission Building), still standing at Government Hill. From 1848 to 1954 (interrupted by renovation in 1928-9 and the Japanese occupation in 1941–5), it was housed on the upper floor of the Colonial Secretariat Building, Lower Albert Road, replaced in 1957 by the Annex to the Central Government Offices Main Wing, on the same site. In 1985, LegCo moved down to the nearby Old Supreme Court building ( 22°16′52″N 114°09′36″E  /  22.280996°N 114.160116°E  / 22.280996; 114.160116 ) in Central Hong Kong where it remained until November 2011. It took up residence in its present accommodation at

2775-496: The Government to maintain judicial independence and impartiality. Upon appointment as a full-time High Court Judge, one must give an undertaking not to return to practise in future as a barrister or solicitor in Hong Kong. The remuneration of High Court Judges is determined by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the independent Standing Committee on Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service. As of 1 April 2017,

2850-864: The Government. From 1963 to 1989, the Unofficial members of both councils formed the UMELCO Office , which complaints from Hong Kong residents. These positions were appointments by the Governor of Hong Kong , to sit in the Councils together with ex officio members and other Official Members. A Senior Unofficial Member would be appointed by the Governor from among the Unofficial Members. Unofficial Members might also be appointed to unelected or partially elected Municipal and District Councils, where there were ex officio members. Currently

2925-487: The High Court Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court A Justice of Appeal may sit as an additional Judge of the Court of First Instance. A Judge of the Court of First Instance may also hear cases in the Court of Appeal, including as a single Judge (for example, when determining applications for leave to appeal in criminal cases). Cases in the Court of First Instance are usually heard by

3000-461: The High Court further delayed the trial until September 2023, until after the NPCSC ruled in the matter. Unofficial Member Before the direct election of Legislative Council members in 1991, the Government reflected the views and opinions of Hong Kong society by appointing members of the business and social elites to the two councils. These members acted as a bridge between local residents and

3075-422: The High Court may be referred to in writing by adding the post-nominal 'CJHC'. Vice Presidents of the Court of Appeal may be referred to in writing by adding the post-nominal 'VP'. Justices of Appeal may be referred to in writing by adding the post-nominal "JA". In 1995, Mrs Justice Doreen Le Pichon was the first woman to be appointed as a High Court judge. She subsequently became the first woman to be appointed as

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3150-472: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a part of the legal system of Hong Kong . It consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance ; it deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It is a superior court of record of unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction . It was named the Supreme Court before 1997 . Though previously named

3225-688: The Legislative Block of the Central Government Complex, Tamar in December 2011. Unlike many other former and current Commonwealth legislatures, the Hong Kong Legislative Council does not have a ceremonial mace placed in its chambers. However, the high courts of Hong Kong use a mace to open sessions, and it represents the authority and powers of the court. To provide a long-term solution to

3300-637: The Legislative Council Secretariat. Officially opened on 1 August 2011, administrative staff had already taken occupation on 15 January 2011. Under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes initiated by the National People's Congress , the Legislative Council is now composed of 90 members returned from 3 constituencies: the Election Committee Constituency , Functional Constituencies and Geographical Constituencies by popular vote. The term of office of

3375-481: The Legislative Council from 60 to 70 seats; adding five seats in the directly elected geographical constituencies and five new District Council (Second) functional constituency seats which are nominated by the District Councillors and elected by all registered electorates. The 2014 Hong Kong electoral reform proposal, which suggested the electoral method of the Legislative Council remain unchanged,

3450-480: The Legislative Council. The reform would allow a new Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, composed entirely of principal officials from the Hong Kong government, to vet candidates for the Legislative Council and would increase its total number of seats from 70 to 90. However, the seats that were directly elected would be reduced from 35 to 20, the five directly elected District Council (Second) seats would also be removed, while an additional 40 seats would be elected by

3525-589: The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Representatives of Relevant National Organisations FCs. Functional constituencies are now principally elected by body votes; the number of FCs with individual votes were reduced, together with elimination of mixed individual and body voting systems. The following FCs were abolished in the 2021 electoral reform. High Court of Hong Kong The High Court of

3600-518: The Supreme Court, this Court has long been the local equivalent to the Senior Courts of England and Wales and has never been vested with the power of final adjudication. A person who has practised for at least 10 years as a barrister , advocate , solicitor or judicial officer in Hong Kong or another common law jurisdiction is eligible to be appointed as a High Court Judge or Recorder . A person who has practised for at least 5 years as

3675-642: The council and the Chief Executive a dominant issue in Hong Kong politics. In 2010, the government's constitutional reform proposal became the first and only constitutional move to have been passed by the Legislative Council in the SAR era with the support of the Democratic Party after the Beijing government accepted the modified package as presented by the party, which increased the composition of

3750-506: The council for passage, whereas private member bills requires simple majorities in two discrete divisions of geographical members and functional members for passage. Therefore, the directly elected legislators (mainly from the GCs) had minimal influence over government policy and legislative agenda. The historical Legislative Council of Hong Kong in the British colonial era was created under

3825-805: The dissolution of District Council (First) and District Council (Second) FCs. Three existing FCs were reconstituted: the Information Technology FC reorganised as the Technology & Innovation FC ; the Medical FC and Health Services FC combined to form the Medical and Health Services FC. Two new FCs were established, namely the Commercial (Third) and the HKSAR Deputies to the National People's Congress, HKSAR Members of

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3900-465: The election. In this Legislative Council, 59 of the 90 members elected in the 2021 election were elected for the first time, or were not members of the last Legislative Council . All members are listed by seniority according to the year of the beginning of consecutive service then the order of swearing in (i.e. the number of strokes in the traditional characters of names in Chinese per precedent) with

3975-403: The following by-elections; the government expressed support for such decisions. The 2019 amendment of the extradition bill caused an historic political upheaval, where intensive protests erupted throughout the city in the latter half of the year, including the storming of the Legislative Council Complex on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong on 1 July. In July 2020, in light of

4050-406: The form of Queen Victoria 's letters patent , issued on 27 June 1843 and titled the Charter of the Colony of Hong Kong , authorised the establishment of the Legislative Council to advise the Governor of Hong Kong 's administration. The council had four official members including the governor who was president of the council when it was first established. The Letters Patent of 1888, which replaced

4125-442: The government to block Jimmy Lai from hiring Tim Owen as his defense lawyer. In September 2023, a report found that at least 66% of all bills that were passed were done with less than half of all Legislative Council members present, below the 50% attendance threshold for a quorum. The first meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, from 1844 to 1846, were likely convened in the residence of Governor Pottinger (later to be

4200-435: The legislature with virtually no opposition. On 27 January 2021, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping said that Hong Kong could only maintain its long-term stability and security by ensuring "patriots governing Hong Kong" when he reviewed a work report delivered by Carrie Lam . In March 2021, China's National People's Congress passed a resolution that authorised an overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system , including that of

4275-439: The plural as '[surname] and [surname] JJA'). Full-time Judges of the Court of First Instance are referred to as '[surname] J' (or in the plural as '[surname] and [surname] JJ'). Recorders are referred to as 'Mr/Madam/Mrs Recorder [surname]' (with the post-nominal 'SC' if they are Senior Counsel ). Deputy High Court Judges are referred to either as 'Deputy Judge [surname]', 'Deputy High Court Judge [surname]' or 'DHCJ [surname]' (with

4350-446: The position of Deputy High Court Judge was known as Commissioner . A Deputy High Court Judge may exercise all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of a full-time Judge of the Court of First Instance. Judicial review cases are not listed before part-time Judges. In order to ensure judicial independence and impartiality, part-time Judges are not permitted to participate actively in political activities (although membership of

4425-438: The post-nominal 'SC' if they are Senior Counsel ). Deputy High Court Judges were previously called Commissioners and were referred to as 'Mr/Madam/Mrs Commissioner [surname]' (with the post-nominal 'Q.C.' if they were Queen's Counsel ) in judgments before 1983. The High Court Building is located at 38 Queensway , Admiralty . The 20-storey building was built in 1985 as the home of the then Supreme Court of Hong Kong , which

4500-459: The previous so-called "through-train" policy that would have allowed for members elected to the colonial Legislative Council automatically becoming members of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) legislature. Instead, the Beijing government resolved to set up an alternative legislative council in preparation for the return of Hong Kong sovereignty from Britain to China. Before the 1997 handover of Hong Kong , rather than working through

4575-408: The principle of gradual and orderly progress, the ultimate aim is to elect all Council members by universal suffrage ( Article 68 of The Basic Law of Hong Kong ). However, under the 2021 overhaul, the seats that were directly elected would be reduced from 35 back down to 20, the five directly elected District Council (Second) seats would also be removed, while an additional 40 seats would be elected by

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4650-422: The pro-Beijing Election Committee and 30 seats would remain trade-based functional constituencies. Every candidate must have nominations from each of the five sectors in the Election Committee. The seventh Legislative Council term, beginning in January 2022, made changes where lawmakers' names were replaced with "a member" or "members" in meeting minutes, a change which the Hong Kong Journalists Association said

4725-422: The pro-Beijing camp has been able to keep the majority in the legislature despite receiving fewer votes than the pro-democracy bloc in the direct elections. Article 68 of the Hong Kong Basic Law states that the ultimate aim is the election of all the members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage . This and a similar article dealing with election of the Chief Executive have made universal suffrage for

4800-415: The pro-democrats' attempt to seize the majority of the Legislative Council in the midst of the largely unpopular Carrie Lam government , the government postponed the seventh general election , citing the COVID-19 spike . At variance with the four-year term set out in the Basic Law, the NPCSC decided in August that the sitting Legislative Council should continue with its duties for at least one year; however,

4875-447: The space shortage problem facing both the Government and the Legislative Council, the Government commissioned the Tamar Development for the design and construction of the Central Government Complex , the Legislative Council Complex and other ancillary facilities in 2008. The Legislative Council Complex comprises a low block and a high block: the low block, which will be named the Council Block, mainly houses conference facilities including

4950-446: The term of the upcoming LegCo would remain four years. In a November decision, the NPCSC disqualified LegCo members on grounds such as Hong Kong independence, Chinese sovereignty, and solicitation of foreign intervention, impacting four sitting legislators whose candidacies had been invalidated in the postponed election. After the disqualification, the 15 remaining pro-democracy legislators announced their resignation in protest , leaving

5025-477: The voting system adopted in GCs is a system of party-list proportional representation , with seats allocated by the largest remainder method using the Hare quota as the quota for election. Under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes , 28 functional constituencies (FC) return 30 members. The Labour Functional Constituency returns three members by block voting . The other FCs return one member each with first-past-the-post voting . The 2021 electoral reform saw

5100-671: The work of the government. In addition, the Legislative Council also has the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court , as well as the power to impeach the Chief Executive of Hong Kong . Following the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests , the National People's Congress disqualified several opposition councillors and initiated an electoral overhaul in 2021. The current Legislative Council consists of three groups of constituencies— geographical constituencies (GCs), functional constituencies (FCs), and Election Committee constituencies —and has been dominated by

5175-498: Was appointed in 2012 as Chairman of the Inquiry into the collision of vessels near Lamma Island . A number of serving and retired Hong Kong High Court Judges also sit as Supreme Court Judges in Brunei . For example, while Mr Justice Rogers served as Vice President of the Hong Kong Court of Appeal, he also sat as a non-resident Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam between 2010 and 2011. As of 2019, three retired Hong Kong High Court Judges sit as Judges of

5250-449: Was established on 1 October 1998 under the Hong Kong Basic Law . The first meeting of the council was held in July of the same year. Five subsequent Legislative Council elections have been held — the most recent being held on 4 September 2016 . The Democratic Party had briefly held the largest-party status in the early years of the SAR period, but its support was slowly eaten away by its pro-democracy allies such as The Frontier and later

5325-429: Was in operation from 25 January 1997 to 30 June 1998 and held its meetings in Shenzhen until 30 June 1997, when the PLC moved to Hong Kong and replaced the elected legislature from the 1997 handover of Hong Kong until the 1998 Hong Kong legislative election . Since 2000, the terms of the Legislative Council have been four years, with the exception of the 6th Legislative Council . The current HKSAR Legislative Council

5400-484: Was negative and that "One one hand, that would make it more difficult for the public to hold lawmakers accountable, and therefore affect how voters may vote." In April 2023, a survey found that half of Hongkongers were unable to name any serving lawmaker, with another 12% naming somebody not a current lawmaker. In May 2023, the Legislative Council voted with 100% approval to let the chief executive restrict overseas lawyers from national security cases, following attempts by

5475-506: Was renamed in 1997. It was named the Supreme Court Building, and the road leading to its main entrance is still named Supreme Court Road . The High Court Building was designed by Architect K. M. Tseng. The structure is a white clad tower and has a water fountain outside its front door. Sometimes, the High Court may sit in another venue. For example, a serving District Judge sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge may hear

5550-670: Was signed on 19 December 1984 (in which the United Kingdom agreed to the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997), the Hong Kong government decided to start the process of democratisation based on the consultative document, Green Paper: the Further Development of Representative Government in Hong Kong on 18 July 1984. The first elections to the Council were held in 1985 , followed by

5625-403: Was vetoed in 2015, after a massive occupation protest demanding universal suffrage — often dubbed the " Umbrella Revolution " — broke out in 2014. The 2016 New Territories East by-election and September general election saw the rise of localist tide where a number of pro-independence candidates were elected to the council. In November, in Beijing's fifth interpretation of the Basic Law since

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