Hong Kong will see another departure of a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal this year as Nicholas Phillips completes his term today (30th) and will not be renewing it starting tomorrow. The judicial agency stated that Phillips decided not to continue due to personal reasons.
Phillips became a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on October 1, 2012, and has served for 12 years. The judicial agency expressed gratitude to Phillips for supporting the rule of law in Hong Kong and contributing to the Court of Final Appeal. It also mentioned that although some non-permanent judges have left in recent years, the majority of those currently serving or those who have left have publicly reiterated their ongoing confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial independence and commitment to upholding the rule of law.
Phillips is the fifth non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal to resign this year. The other four include Kemal Bokhary, Henry Litton, Patrick Chan, and Mary Huen. Henry Litton once stated that his resignation was due to the “political situation in Hong Kong”; Kemal Bokhary openly expressed that Hong Kong has gradually become an authoritarian region where the rule of law is severely undermined; Patrick Chan cited his age as the reason for not seeking reappointment.
Currently, the Court of Final Appeal has 11 non-permanent judges, with 7 of them being overseas judges. Following Phillips’ departure tomorrow, there will be 6 remaining overseas non-permanent judges.