Henry Denis Litton

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, GBM ( Chinese transliteration: 烈顯倫; born 7 August 1934) is a retired judge in Hong Kong.

Early life and education

Born into a Eurasian family in Hong Kong, Henry Litton excelled in school during his early years first at the Diocesan Boys' School in Hong Kong and then in England which he was educated at

King's College, Taunton (Strong and faithful) , established = 1880 , closed = , type = Independent day and boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label ...

and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, where he graduated with honours in

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

. His father, John Letablere Litton (1903–1941), served as a gunner in the

Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) ()), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong R ...

. He was killed in action on 18 December 1941 defending Hong Kong from Japanese attack, and was buried in

Stanley Military Cemetery Stanley Military Cemetery is a cemetery located near St. Stephen's Beach in Stanley, Hong Kong. Along with the larger Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery, it is one of two military cemeteries of the early colonial era, used for the burials ...

. His mother Enid Tak-ching Lo-Litton was a tennis player and won thirteen Hong Kong National Championships over a 24-year span. John's maternal uncle was the lawyer Sir

Lo Man-kam Sir Man-kam Lo, Order of the British Empire, CBE (; 21 July 1893 – 7 March 1959) was a Eurasian lawyer in Hong Kong and unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executive Council and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Early ...

,x part of a prominent Eurasian family. Litton is linked to the Anglo-Irish / Huguenot Littons' clan from Dublin, whom came via Yorkshire and also to politician Edward Litton.

Legal career

After passing the

Bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

in 1959, Litton entered into private practice in Hong Kong where he was eminently successful as a trial lawyer. Litton was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1970 and co-founded the ''Hong Kong Law Journal'' with Gerald de Basto QC, another local

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. He also served as Chairman of the

Bar Association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

from 1971 to 1973, from 1977 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1985. Litton was appointed in 1987 an Officer of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his contribution to the law and was elevated to the bench in 1992 as a Justice of Appeal. He rose steadily through the ranks, becoming Vice-President of the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

in 1995 and a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong's

court of last resort A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

) in 1997, when British colonial rule in Hong Kong ended and China resumed its sovereignty over the region. He assumed senior status three years later, citing personal reasons. Until 2015, he continued to hear cases on a part-time basis as a non-permanent judge of the Court he served. In 2007, Litton was appointed a Judicial Commissioner, as well as a Justice of Appeal, of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam.

Post-judicial life

In 2019, Litton released his book ''Is the Hong Kong Judiciary Sleepwalking to 2047?'', in which he criticised numerous aspects of Hong Kong's legal system, focusing particularly on the misuse of judicial reviews in recent years. He also argued that courts ought not serve as a “debating chamber” to challenge government policy. Litton is known to be a great advocate of environmentalism; his wife Linda Siddall was a founder and Director of

Friends of the Earth (HK) Friends of the Earth (HK) Charity Limited (FoE (HK)) is a Hong Kong based environmental organisation founded in 1983. Commonly known as Friends of the Earth (HK) or FoE (HK), it has a membership of more than 12,000 individuals. As FoE (HK) re ...

and Litton himself its patron. He is also an avid player of tennis. Litton's son John continues the family's legal eminence, practising at the London and Hong Kong bar since 1989, taking silk in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Litton, Henry Denis 1934 births Living people People educated at King's College, Taunton Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Barristers of Hong Kong Hong Kong judges Justices of the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal British Hong Kong judges New Hong Kong Alliance politicians Hong Kong Queen's Counsel Hong Kong Affairs Advisors