Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore

The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts

Subordinate Courts of Singapore

The Subordinate Courts of Singapore is one of the two tiers of the court system in Singapore, the other tier being the Supreme Court. The Subordinate Courts comprise the District and Magistrate Courts—both of which oversee civil and criminal matters—as well as specialised family, juvenile,...

to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases

Civil law (common law)

Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

and, in criminal matters

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences

Sentence (law)

In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...

if they are convicted

Conviction

In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...

.

In the Supreme Court, the current senior judicial officers are the Honourable the Chief Justice

Chief Justice of Singapore

The Chief Justice of Singapore is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President, chosen from candidates recommended by the Prime Minister. The present Chief Justice is Chan Sek Keong....

Chan Sek Keong

Chan Sek Keong is the current Chief Justice of Singapore, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin on 11 April 2006....

, who is also the President of the Court of Appeal

Court of Appeal of Singapore

The Court of Appeal of the Republic of Singapore is the nation's highest court and its court of final appeal. It is the upper division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the lower being the High Court. The Court of Appeal consists of the Chief Justice of Singapore, who is the President of the...

; the Honourable Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin

Chao Hick Tin

Chao Hick Tin is an appellate judge and former Attorney-General of Singapore. He was born in Singapore and studied at Catholic High School. He received his legal education at University College London, where he obtained his Bachelor and Masters of Law degrees in 1965 and 1966 respectively. He was...

, the Vice-President; the Honourable Judges of Appeal, Justices Andrew Phang Boon Leong

Andrew Phang

Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.Born in Singapore in 1957, he received his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1982, before earning his LL.M. and S.J.D. from Harvard University in 1984 and 1988 respectively...

and V.K. Rajah

V K Rajah

Born in 1957, Justice Vijaya Kumar Rajah graduated from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law in 1982 and obtained his Masters of Law from the University of Cambridge in 1986. His father was the former Barisan Sosialis leader Thampore Thamby Rajah, better known as T.T...

; and the judges and judicial commissioners

Judicial Commissioner

A Judicial Commissioner in Singapore is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Prime Minister, and has the powers of a Judge. A person may be appointed a Judicial Commissioner if he/she has been a "qualified person" within the meaning of section 2 of the...

of the High Court

High Court of Singapore

The High Court of the Republic of Singapore is the lower division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the upper being the Court of Appeal. It consists of the Chief Justice of Singapore and the Judges of the High Court. Judicial Commissioners are often appointed to assist with the Court's caseload...

. The other judicial officers are the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Deputy Registrar, the Senior Assistant Registrars and the Assistant Registrars.

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

Judicial officers of the Supreme Court

The superior court

Superior court

In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...

s of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

are the Court of Appeal

Court of Appeal of Singapore

and the High Court

High Court of Singapore

, 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

Chief Justice of Singapore

, 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.

The other senior judicial officers of the Supreme Court are the Judges and Judicial Commissioner

Judicial Commissioner

s 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 he or she shall have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of a judge of the Court of Appeal.

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

the Chief Justice;
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;
the Judges of Appeal (other than vice-presidents), who among themselves shall rank according to the priority of their respective appointments; and
the Judges of the High Court, who among themselves shall rank according to the priority of their respective appointments.

The other judicial officers are the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, and Assistant Registrars. These officers assist the senior judicial officers by conducting pre-trial conferences, and hearing and determining minor court applications such as interlocutory applications

Interlocutory

Interlocutory is a legal term which can refer to an order, sentence, decree, or judgment, given in an intermediate stage between the commencement and termination of a cause of action, used to provide a temporary or provisional decision on an issue...

and bankruptcy

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

matters.

Qualifications

A person is qualified for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court if he or she has, for an aggregate period of not less than ten years, been a qualified person within the meaning of section 2 of the Legal Profession Act, or a member of the Singapore Legal Service

Singapore Legal Service

The Singapore Legal Service is the collective body of lawyers who serve in the courts, the Attorney-General's Chambers, and the legal departments of various government ministries and statutory boards in Singapore...

, or both.

The Legal Profession Act defines a "qualified person" as any person who — before 1 May 1993 —

(i) has passed the final examination for the degree of Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

in the University of Malaya in Singapore, the University of Singapore or the National University of Singapore

National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....

;

(ii) was and still is a barrister-at-law

Barrister

A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...

of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

or of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

or a member of the Faculty of Advocates

Faculty of Advocates

The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...

in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

;

(iii) was and still is a solicitor in England or Northern Ireland or a writer to the Signet

Writers to the Signet

The Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documents which required to be signeted, but these have since...

, 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; 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 is approved by the Board as a qualified person under section 7.

Appointment

The Chief Justice, Judges of Appeal and Judges of the High Court are appointed by the President

President of Singapore

The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...

if he, acting in his discretion, concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Singapore

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...

. Before tendering his advice as to the appointment of a judge, the Prime Minister is required to consult the Chief Justice.

In order to facilitate the disposal of business in the Supreme Court, the President, if he, acting in his discretion, 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 his or her appointment shall have the same validity and effect as if done by a Judge of that Court and, in respect thereof, he or she shall have the same powers and enjoy the same immunities as if he or she had been a Judge of that Court. A person may be appointed to be a Judicial Commissioner to hear and determine a specified case only, although this has not yet happened. In recent years, the Judicial Commissioner's post has been used as a testing ground to see if qualified persons are suited for elevation to the Bench as Judges of the High Court.

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, acting in his discretion, concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister.

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, before he or she enters on the execution of his or her office, take, in the presence of the President, the following Oath of Office:

Tenure of office

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

He or she dies in office.
He or she attains the age of 65 years or such later time not being later than six months after he or she attains that age, as the President may approve. The validity of anything done by a Judge shall not be questioned on the ground that he or she had attained the age on which he or she was required to retire.
He or she resigns his or her office by writing under his or her hand addressed to the President.
If the President removes him or her from office, on the recommendation of a tribunal appointed by him 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 his or her office. The procedure for the removal of a Judge is as follows:

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.
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
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

. 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).
Pending any reference and report, the President may, if he, acting in his discretion, concurs 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 his or her functions.

Remuneration

Parliament is required by the Constitution to provide for the remuneration of the Judges of the Supreme Court, and it has done so by enacting the Judges' Remuneration Act. The annual pension

Pension

In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...

able salaries paid to Judges, which were last updated on 1 September 1994, are as follows:

The Chief Justice – S$347,400.
Every Judge of Appeal – S$253,200.
Every other Judge of the Supreme Court – S$234,600.

Judicial independence

To secure the independence of the judiciary

Judicial independence

Judicial Independence is the idea that the judiciary needs to be kept away from the other branches of government...

, the Singapore Constitution makes the following provision:

The office of a Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be abolished during his or her continuance in office.
A Judge of the Supreme Court holds office until he or she attains the age of 65 years or such later time not being later than six months after he or she attains that age, as the President may approve, and may not be removed from office unless the procedure set out in the "Tenure of office" subsection above is followed.
The remuneration and other terms of office (including pension rights) of a Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be altered to his or her disadvantage after his or her appointment.
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.

In addition, the Attorney-General

Attorney-General of Singapore

The Attorney-General of Singapore is the legal adviser to the government of the Republic of Singapore and its public prosecutor.The office was founded in 1867 as the chief legal officer of the British crown colony of the Straits Settlements. The current requirements for appointment as...

may bring committal

Committal procedure

In law, a committal procedure is the process by which a defendant is charged with a serious offence under the criminal justice systems of all common law jurisdictions outside the United States...

proceedings against a person for contempt of court

Contempt of court

Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...

by doing an act or publishing a piece of writing calculated to bring the court or a judge into contempt or to lower his or her authority (known as "scandalizing

Offence of scandalizing the court in Singapore

In Singapore, the offence of scandalizing the court is committed when a person performs any act or publishes any writing that is calculated to bring a court or a judge of the court into contempt, or to lower his authority...

" the court or the judge); or calculated to obstruct or interfere with the due course of justice.

At common law

Common law

Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...

, no judge of a superior court or inferior court is liable in damages

Damages

In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...

if acting within jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...

, even if he or she does so maliciously. 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. Liability only attaches in such cases if the judge knowingly acts outside jurisdiction.

Forms of address

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.

The full form of address for the Chief Justice is "The Honourable the Chief Justice", while that for other Judges is "The Honourable Judge of Appeal, Justice"/"The Honourable Justice"/"The Honourable Judicial Commissioner". In reports of judgments and in legal submissions, these forms of address are usually abbreviated as follows:

"The Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong" – "Chan Sek Keong C.J." or "Chan C.J.".
"The Honourable Judge of Appeal Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong" – "Andrew Phang Boon Leong J.A." or "Phang J.A.".
"The Honourable Judges of Appeal Justices Andrew Phang Boon Leong and V.K. Rajah" – "Andrew Phang Boon Leong and V.K. Rajah JJ.A." or "Phang and Rajah JJ.A.".
"The Honourable Justice Lai Siu Chiu" – "Lai Siu Chiu J." or "Lai J.".
"The Honourable Justices Lai Siu Chiu and Judith Prakash" – "Lai Siu Chiu and Judith Prakash JJ." or "Lai and Prakash JJ.".
"The Honourable Judicial Commissioner Sundaresh Menon" – "Sundaresh Menon J.C." or "Menon J.C.". There is no accepted abbreviation for "Judicial Commissioners".

List of judges of the Supreme Court

The table below lists the judges that were in office on or after 9 August 1965, the date when Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia and became an independent

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

. Judges currently in office are highlighted.

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) effectively transferred all legislative

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

and executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

powers previously possessed by the Federal Government to the new Government of Singapore

Government of Singapore

The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...

. The Constitution of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1965 (Singapore) amended the Singapore State Constitution to alter the procedure required for constitutional amendment

Constitutional amendment

A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...

, and changed various nomenclatures to bring the Constitution in line with Singapore's independent status. Finally, the Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 (Singapore) 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. 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, when the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 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

Bill (proposed law)

A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....

in Parliament

Parliament of Singapore

The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...

, the then Minister for Law and National Development

Ministry of National Development (Singapore)

The Ministry of National Development is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to land use planning and infrastructure development...

, Mr. E.W. Barker

Edmund W. Barker

Edmund William Barker was a Singaporean politician of Eurasian descent.Educated at Cambridge University, Barker first practised law in Braddell Brothers and later in Lee & Lee...

, 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. 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

Judicial Commissioner

. 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. 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.

No.	Judge	Birth and death dates	Term of service
No.	Judge	Birth and death dates	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 Puisne Justice A Puisne Justice or Puisne Judge is the title for a regular member of a Court. This is distinguished from the head of the Court who is known as the Chief Justice or Chief Judge. The term is used almost exclusively in common law jurisdictions such as England, Australia, Kenya, Canada, Sri Lanka,... ) 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	F.A. (Frederick Arthur) Chua	Born 15 May 1913	—	15 February 1957 – 15 November 1990	—	—	16 November 1978 – 15 November 1990
4	Wee Chong Jin Wee Chong Jin Wee Chong Jin was born in Penang to parents Wee Gim Puay and Lim Paik Yew. He received his early education at the Penang Free School, and read law at St John's College, Cambridge...	28 September 1917 – 5 June 2005	—	15 August 1957 – 4 January 1963 (Puisne Judge Puisne Justice A Puisne Justice or Puisne Judge is the title for a regular member of a Court. This is distinguished from the head of the Court who is known as the Chief Justice or Chief Judge. The term is used almost exclusively in common law jurisdictions such as England, Australia, Kenya, Canada, Sri Lanka,... )	—	5 January 1963 – 27 September 1990	29 September 1982 – 27 September 1990
5	James Walter Davy Ambrose		—	15 May 1958 – 1 March 1968	—	—	—
6	A.V. (Alfred Victor) Winslow		—	1 October 1962 – 5 April 1977	—	—	—
7	T. (Thilliampalam) Kulasekaram	Born 1919	—	28 August 1963 – 17 June 1984	—	—	—
8	Choor Singh (Choor Singh Sidhu) Choor Singh Choor Singh Sidhu , known professionally as Choor Singh, was a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore and, particularly after his retirement from the bench, a philanthropist and writer of books about Sikhism. Born to a family of modest means in Punjab, India, he came to Singapore at four years of...	19 January 1911 – 31 March 2009	—	28 August 1963 – 30 November 1980	—	—	20 July 1976 – 30 November 1980
9	Denis Cosmas D'Cotta	Died 1983	—	1 March 1970 – 28 February 1981	—	—	2 March 1976 – 28 February 1981
10	A.P. (Arumugam Ponnu) Rajah	1911 – 28 September 1999	—	1 October 1976 – 28 September 1999	—	—	—
11	T.S. (Thirugnana Sampanthar) Sinnathuray Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray, affectionately known as 'Sam' or 'Judge' by his friends and peers, was born on 22 September 1930 and the son of a school principal. He received his early education at Pearl's Hill School and the Outram School but was cut short by the Fall Of Singapore in February...	Born 22 September 1930	—	2 October 1978 – 22 September 1997	—	—	23 September 1995 – 22 September 1997
12	Lai Kew Chai Lai Kew Chai Justice Lai Kew Chai was the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court Bench, having served for almost 25 years as a Judge.Born in Tanjung Malim, Perak, he received his early education at Methodist English School at his hometown in 1950, and at the Methodist Boys' School, Kuala Lumpur in...	7 February 1941 – 27 February 2006	—	1 July 1981 – 7 February 2006	—	—	—
13	L.P. (Lip Ping) Thean		—	1 February 1984 – 30 June 1993	1 July 1993 – 23 February 2002	—	24 February 1998 – 23 February 2002
14	Punch (Punchardsheram) Coomaraswamy	Died 9 January 1999	—	10 September 1984 – 30 September 1993	—	—	17 October 1990 – 30 September 1993
15	Chan Sek Keong Chan Sek Keong Chan Sek Keong is the current Chief Justice of Singapore, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin on 11 April 2006....	Born 5 November 1937	1 July 1986 – 30 June 1988	1 July 1988 – 3 April 1992	—	11 April 2006 – present	—
16	Joseph Grimberg		2 November 1987 – 5 November 1988; 2 January 1989 – 2 January 1990	—	—	—	—
17	Chao Hick Tin Chao Hick Tin Chao Hick Tin is an appellate judge and former Attorney-General of Singapore. He was born in Singapore and studied at Catholic High School. He received his legal education at University College London, where he obtained his Bachelor and Masters of Law degrees in 1965 and 1966 respectively. He was...		1 October 1987 – 14 November 1990	15 October 1990 – 1 August 1999	2 August 1999 – 10 April 2006 11 April 2008 – present (Vice-President, Court of Appeal from 18 April 2008)	—	—
18	Tan Teow Yeow	?1946 – 6 August 2008	15 March 1989 – 15 March 1991	—	—	—	—
19	Yong Pung How Yong Pung How Yong Pung How, DUT . He was the former Chief Justice of Singapore, serving from 1990 to 2006. Prior to his judicial career, he was a lawyer, banker and senior government official...	Born 11 April 1926	—	1 July 1989 – 27 September 1990	—	28 September 1990 – 10 April 2006	12 April 1991 – 10 April 2006
20	M. (Mootatamby) Karthigesu	1923 – 21 July 1999	5 June 1990 – 14 November 1990	15 November 1990 – 30 June 1993	1 July 1993 – 21 July 1999	—	—
21	S. Rajendran (Rajendran s/o Sinnathamby)		1 September 1990 – 31 December 1990	1 January 1991 – 22 October 2003	—	—	—
22	Goh Joon Seng		1 October 1990 – 14 November 1990	15 November 1990 – 22 March 2000	—	—	—
23	Goh Phai Cheng		14 January 1991 – 14 January 1994	—	—	—	—
24	G.P. Selvam (Govinda Pannirselvam)		1 March 1991 – 28 February 1994	1 March 1994 – 7 July 2001	—	—	—
25	M.P.H. Rubin (Mohideen M.P. Haja Rubin)		1 March 1991 – 28 February 1994	1 March 1994 – 4 February 2005	—	—	—
26	Kan Ting Chiu Kan Ting Chiu Justice Kan Ting Chiu is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner in May 1991, and later Judge in May 1994.-External links:*...	Born 27 August 1946	2 May 1991 – 1 May 1994	2 May 1994 – 27 August 2011	—	—	—
27	Lai Siu Chiu		2 May 1991 – 1 May 1994	2 May 1994 – present	—	—	—
28	K.S. Rajah (Kasinather Saunthararajah) K. S. Rajah Kasinather Saunthararajah S.C., P.B.M. , known professionally as K.S. Rajah, was a Senior Counsel and former Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore...	2 March 1930 – 17 June 2010	15 May 1991 – 2 March 1995	—	—	—	15 May 1994 – 2 March 1995
29	Michael Hwang (Sydney Michael Hwang) Michael Hwang Michael Hwang SC is a leading barrister and arbitrator in Singapore. In 1991, he was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He completed his term in 1992, and in 1997 he was appointed one of the first 12 Senior Counsel in Singapore. In 2008, he took office as the...		1 June 1991 – 31 December 1992	—	—	—	—
30	Warren L.H. Khoo		—	1 June 1991 – 14 August 1999	—	—	—
31	Amarjeet Singh s/o Jeswent Singh		2 January 1992 – 1 January 2001	—	—	—	—
32	T.Q. (Teong Quee) Lim		1 April 1992 – 29 October 2000	—	—	—	—
33	Judith Prakash		1 April 1992 – 31 March 1995	1 August 1995 – present	—	—	—
34	Choo Han Teck Choo Han Teck Justice Choo Han Teck is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1995, and later appointed Judge in January 2003.-External links:*...		1 April 1995 – 31 March 2001	2 January 2003 – present	—	—	—
35	Christopher Lau Loke Sam		2 May 1995 – 1 May 1998	—	—	—	—
36	C.R. (Chelva Ratnam) Rajah		1 July 1995 – 30 June 1997	—	—	—	—
37	Tan Lee Meng Tan Lee Meng Justice Tan Lee Meng is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner in February 1997, and then appointed Judge in August 1997....		2 February 1997 – 31 July 1997	1 August 1997 – present	—	—	—
38	Chan Seng Onn		15 October 1997 – 14 October 2000	2 July 2007 – present	—	—	—
39	Lee Seiu Kin	Born 1954?	15 October 1997 – 14 October 2002	11 April 2006 – present	—	—	—
40	Tay Yong Kwang Tay Yong Kwang Justice Tay Yong Kwang is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1997, and appointed Judge in 2003.-External links:*...		15 October 1997 – 1 January 2003	2 January 2003 – present	—	—	—
41	Woo Bih Li Woo Bih Li Justice Woo Bih Li is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.Justice Woo received his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1977, and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court the following year. He joined the law firm Allen & Gledhill in 1970 and in 1992, he...		2 May 2000 – 1 January 2003	2 January 2003 – present	—	—	—
42	Belinda Ang Saw Ean		1 February 2002 – 1 January 2003	2 January 2003 – present	—	—	—
43	V.K. (Vijaya Kumar) Rajah V K Rajah Born in 1957, Justice Vijaya Kumar Rajah graduated from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law in 1982 and obtained his Masters of Law from the University of Cambridge in 1986. His father was the former Barisan Sosialis leader Thampore Thamby Rajah, better known as T.T...	Born ?1957	2 January 2004 – 31 October 2004	1 November 2004 – 10 April 2007	11 April 2007 – present	—	—
44	Andrew Phang Boon Leong Andrew Phang Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.Born in Singapore in 1957, he received his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1982, before earning his LL.M. and S.J.D. from Harvard University in 1984 and 1988 respectively...	Born 1958?	3 January 2005 – 7 December 2005	8 December 2005 – 27 February 2006	28 February 2006 – present	—	—
45	Andrew Ang Andrew Ang Justice Andrew Ang is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He obtained his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1971, and his LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1973. He lectured for a few years at the University of Singapore, and was a senior partner at Messrs Lee & Lee prior to his...	Born 1946	15 May 2004 – 14 May 2005	15 May 2005 – present	—	—	26 February 2011 – 25 February 2014
46	Sundaresh Menon Sundaresh Menon Sundaresh Menon SC is Singapore's Attorney-General. He was sworn in on 1 Oct 2010. Menon graduated with first class honours from the law faculty of the National University of Singapore in 1986 and later obtained his LL.M. from Harvard University. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008. He served a...	Born 1962?	3 April 2006 – 2 April 2007	—	—	—	—
47	Quentin Loh Sze On		1 September 2009 – 31 May 2010	1 June 2010 – present	—	—	—
48	Steven Chong Horng Siong Steven Chong Steven Chong Horng Siong SC is a Judge of the High Court of Singapore. A former litigation lawyer and managing partner of Rajah & Tann, he is one of the leading shipping lawyers in Singapore. Chong obtained his LL.B. from the National University of Singapore in 1982. In that same year, he, together...		1 October 2009 – 31 May 2010	1 June 2010 – present	—	—	—
49	Philip Nalliah Pillai		1 October 2009 – 31 May 2010	1 June 2010 – present	—	—	—

The name in bold is the judge's surname

Family name

A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...

, or if he or she does not have a surname, the given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

by which he or she is generally known. Judges currently in office are highlighted.

Notes

Chan Sek Keong
Chan Sek Keong
Chan Sek Keong is the current Chief Justice of Singapore, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin on 11 April 2006....

was the first person to be appointed a Judicial Commissioner on 1 July 1986. 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
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...

of Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

.
Chan Seng Onn was appointed Solicitor-General on 1 June 2001.
The first woman judge, Lai Siu Chiu, was appointed on 2 May 1994.
Lee Seiu Kin, who served as a Judicial Commissioner between 15 October 1997 and 14 October 2002, served as Second Solicitor-General between 15 October 2002 and 10 April 2007, and was appointed a Judge with effect from 11 April 2007.
Wee Chong Jin
Wee Chong Jin
Wee Chong Jin was born in Penang to parents Wee Gim Puay and Lim Paik Yew. He received his early education at the Penang Free School, and read law at St John's College, Cambridge...

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
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

country.

The Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, and Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court

Qualifications

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

Appointment

The Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chief Justice. These judicial officers are members of the Judicial Branch of the Singapore Legal Service

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.

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

Protection

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 him in the discharge of his or her judicial duty whether or not within the limits of his or her jurisdiction, provided that he or she at the time in good faith believed himself or herself to have jurisdiction to do or order the act complained of.

Judicial officers of the Subordinate Courts

The Subordinate Courts of Singapore are the District Courts, Magistrates' Courts, Juvenile Courts, Coroners' Courts and Small Claims Tribunals.

As of 29 March 2010, the senior judicial officers of the Subordinate Courts are:

Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye, who was appointed in August 2008;
Senior District Judge Foo Tuat Yien, Family and Juvenile Justice Division;
Senior District Judge See Kee Oon, Criminal Justice Division;
Senior District Judge-Consultant Liew Thiam Leng, Criminal Justice Division;
Senior District Judge Leslie Chew Kwee Hoe, Civil Justice Division; and
Senior District Judge Hoo Sheau Peng, Corporate and Court Services Division.

The other judicial officers are the Registrar of the Subordinate Courts, also Ms. Hoo Sheau Peng; the Senior Deputy Registrar; and the Deputy Registrars.

Qualifications

For a person to be appointed to be or to act as a District Judge, he or she must have been for not less than five years a qualified person as defined in section 2 of the Legal Profession Act (see above). For a Magistrate, the corresponding period is one year.

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, in his discretion, appoint any person who is not a qualified person under that Act.

Appointment

District Judges and Magistrates are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chief Justice. 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. District Judges, Magistrates and Subordinate Courts registrars are officers of the Judicial Branch of the Singapore Legal Service and are subject to the control of the Legal Service Commission.

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:

Protection

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.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Judicial officers of the Supreme Court

Qualifications

Appointment

Tenure of office

Remuneration

Judicial independence

Forms of address

List of judges of the Supreme Court

The Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, and Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court

Qualifications

Appointment

Protection

Judicial officers of the Subordinate Courts

Qualifications

Appointment

Protection

See also

Subordinate Courts

External links