Geoffrey Ma
| The Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li 馬道立 GBM QC SC | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal | |
|
Assumed office 1 September 2010 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Tsang |
| Preceded by | Andrew Li |
| Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong | |
|
In office 14 July 2003 – 31 August 2010 | |
| Appointed by | Tung Chee Hwa |
| Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court | |
|
In office 2002–2003 | |
| Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court | |
|
In office 2001–2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 11, 1956 British Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
The Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li GBM QC SC (Chinese: 馬道立; born 11 January 1956) is a Hong Kong judge. He serves as the 2nd and current Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. Between 2001 and 2010, he has 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, and was qualified to practise in England and Wales, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
Early life and education
Born in Hong Kong, Geoffrey Ma received his education near Manchester, England. In 1974, he started his studies at the University of Birmingham and graduated with an LLB in 1977.[1]
Legal career
In 1978, Ma was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in London and commenced his practice as a Barrister in England and Wales; he was then called to Bar in Hong Kong, State of Victoria, Australia and Singapore in 1980, 1983 and 1990 respectively. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1993.[2] He was the Head of Chambers of Temple Chambers in Hong Kong prior to his judicial appointment.[1]
He was appointed by the Hong Kong Judiciary as Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in December 2000. In December 2001, Ma became a Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.[2] In 2002, Ma was elevated to the position of Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.[3] In July 2003, he was appointed as Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong.
Ma was also a member of the Working Party on Civil Justice Reform, which came into effect in April 2009 and is aimed at lowering legal costs and improving assess to justice. Addressing almost 200 legal professionals at a forum in April 2010, Ma criticised judges for being too lenient in civil proceedings with time-wasting parties[4] and encouraged judges to fully use their new case management power under the Civil Justice Reform to ensure expediency. He also warned lawyers against devising new tactics to make civil proceedings unnecessarily lengthy and inefficient.[5]
On 8 April 2010, it was announced that Chief Executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission to appoint Ma as the successor to the current Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Li. He was succeeded by Andrew Cheung as the Chief Judge of the High Court.[6] On 9 June 2010, his appointment was approved by the Legislative Council by a majority vote.[7]
Ma had a number of public appointments, which include serving as an Associate Member of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, an Honorary lecturer of the Department of Professional Legal Education of the University of Hong Kong, a Member of the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Board, a Member of the High Court Civil Court Users Committee, a Member of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange Disciplinary Appeal Tribunal, Chairman of the Appeal Tribunal Panel (Buildings), Deputy Chairman of the SFC Appeals Panel, and Deputy Chairman of the SFC Takeovers Appeals Committee.[2]
He was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn in 2004, making him the third person in Hong Kong conferred with such honour.[8] He is an Honorary Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford.
Reception
Legislator and Senior Counsel Audrey Eu and Ronny Tong believed Ma will continue to defend the independence of the Hong Kong judiciary, but described him as sometimes a little too "conservative."[9] Tong cited an appeal from September 2009 when Ma and fellow judges criticised the government for not disclosing information but eventually ruled in favour of an Immigration Department decision to deny entry to Falun Gong practitioners on "security grounds."[10] Also, in December 2008, he was part of a Court of Appeal panel that overturned a lower court ruling that acquitted the operators of Citizens' Radio of unlicensed broadcasting.
On the other hand, the Hong Kong Bar Association said Ma commands "deep respect" and is "eminently qualified". Similarly, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Director Law Yuk-kai said he was pleased to see Ma's rich experience in public law. "He is strong in public law. He has the competence to protect constitutional rights," Law said. "Of course we were disappointed about some cases, but I don't think he is going out of the way to side with the government. I hope he understands that his role is very important. Hong Kong doesn't have democracy. We expect there is at least one branch of government that serves as the last protector of our rights and interests."[11]
Family
Geoffrey Ma is married to Maria Yuen Ka-ning, who is also a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court. They have one daughter.[2] To avoid any possible conflict of interest, Ma would not hear appeals from cases in which Yuen has sat. Nor would he deal with any administrative matter concerning her.[10]
References
- 1 2 Mr Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-Li Birmingham Law School
- 1 2 3 4 "Appointment of High Court Judge". Hong Kong Government. 28 November 2000. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ "Judicial Appointment". Hong Kong Government. 14 November 2002. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ "Next Chief Justice criticises judges". RTHK. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ↑ Colleen Lee (16 April 2010). "New chief warns time wasters". The Standard. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ↑ "Appointment of the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal". Hong Kong Government. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ↑ Phila Siu and Colleen Lee (10 June 2010). "Ma confirmed as next chief justice". The Standard. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ "Chief Judge elected Gray's Inn Honorary Bencher". Hong Kong Government. 21 December 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ "Geoffrey Ma named as new Chief Justice". RTHK. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- 1 2 Patsy Moy (9 April 2010). "New chief justice gives oath on lawyer wife". The Standard. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ↑ Joyce Woo (9 April 2010). "HK top judge nominee praised as good for rights". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
External links
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arthur Leong |
Chief Judge of the High Court 2003–2010 |
Succeeded by Andrew Cheung |
| Preceded by Andrew Li |
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal 2010–present |
Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by CY Leung Chief Executive of Hong Kong |
Hong Kong order of precedence Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal |
Succeeded by Tung Chee Hwa Former Chief Executives |