Robin Brunskill Cooke,Baron Cooke of Thorndon,was a New Zealand judge and later a British Law Lord and member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. He is widely considered one of New Zealand's most influential jurists,and is the only New Zealand judge to have sat in the House of Lords. He was a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 1997 to 2006.
The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation.
The Supreme Court of New Zealand is the highest court and the court of last resort of New Zealand. It formally came into being on 1 January 2004 and sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It replaced the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,based in London. It was created with the passing of the Supreme Court Act 2003,on 15 October 2003. At the time,the creation of the Supreme Court and the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council were controversial constitutional changes in New Zealand. The Supreme Court Act 2003 was repealed on 1 March 2017 and superseded by the Senior Courts Act 2016.
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal is the final appellate court of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997,upon the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the highest judicial institution under Hong Kong law. As defined in Articles 19 and 85 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong,the Court of Final Appeal "exercises judicial power in the Region independently and free from any interference." The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance and the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Rules set out the detailed functions and procedures of the court.
The High Court of 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 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.
Sir Kenneth James Keith is a New Zealand judge. He was elected to the International Court of Justice in November 2005,serving a nine-year term during the years 2006 through 2015.
The High Court of New Zealand is the superior court of New Zealand. It has general jurisdiction and responsibility,under the Senior Courts Act 2016,as well as the High Court Rules 2016,for the administration of justice throughout New Zealand. There are 18 High Court locations throughout New Zealand,plus one stand-alone registry.
The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the State 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 law of New Zealand uses the English common law system,inherited from being a part of the British Empire.
Ismail Mahomed SCOB SC was a South African lawyer and jurist who served as the first black Chief Justice of South Africa from January 1997 until his death in June 2000. He was also the Chief Justice of Namibia from 1992 to 1999 and the inaugural Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1995 to 1996.
Patrick Anthony Keane is an Australian judge currently serving as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023,after his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He is currently the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group set up by the Australian Government to guide reforms to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He is a former Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.
Patrick Stewart Hodge,Lord Hodge,PC is a British lawyer,currently serving as Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young was a Supreme Court Judge,former President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand,and,briefly,a judge of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by Attorney-General Chris Finlayson in June 2010,taking effect from 1 July.
Geoffrey Ma Tao-li is a retired Hong Kong judge who served as the 2nd Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal—the court of last resort in Hong Kong. Between 2001 and 2010,he held various positions in the High Court of Hong Kong,including Chief Judge,Justice of Appeal,and Judge of the Court of First Instance. Before his judicial career,he was a barrister-at-law in private practice at Temple Chambers,and was qualified to practice in England and Wales,Hong Kong,Australia and Singapore.
Sir Terence Arnold is a judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. He was the Solicitor-General of New Zealand from 2000,before being made a judge of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand in 2006. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 11 June 2013.
The judiciary of Solomon Islands is a branch of the Government of Solomon Islands that interprets and applies the laws of Solomon Islands,to ensure equal justice under law,and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The legal system is derived from chapter VII,part II of the Constitution,adopted when the country became independent from the United Kingdom in 1978. The Constitution provided for the creation of a High Court,with original jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases,and a Court of Appeal. It also provided for the possibility of "subordinate courts",with no further specification (art.84).
The judiciary of New Zealand is responsible for the system of courts that interprets and applies the laws of New Zealand. It has four primary functions:to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution;to deliver authoritative rulings on the meaning and application of legislation;to develop case law;and to uphold the rule of law,personal liberty and human rights. The judiciary is supported in its work by an executive department,the Ministry of Justice.
David Collins is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. He is an acting judge of the Court of Appeal until 18 March 2026. He was the Solicitor-General of New Zealand from 1 September 2006 to 15 March 2012,before being made a judge of the High Court in 2012.
Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa Maya is the Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa. She was formerly the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal from 2017 to 2022. She joined the bench in May 2000 as a judge of the Transkei Division of the High Court of South Africa and was elevated to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2006.
