Hong Kong Court of Final AppealThe Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA) is the final appellate court of Hong Kong. The Court of Final Appeal was established on 1 July 1997, upon the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; the court replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the highest judicial institution of the jurisdiction of Hong Kong. As defined in Articles 19 and 85 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, the Court of Final Appeal "exercises judicial power in the Region independently and free from any interfere...
Hong Kong Court of First InstanceThe Court of First Instance (HKCFI in case citations; HC in action numbers) is the lower court of the High Court of Hong Kong (the upper court being the Court of Appeal). The hierarchy of the Hong Kong judiciary from high to low is: the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court (consisting of the upper Court of Appeal and the lower Court of First Instance), the District Court, and magistrates' courts. The Court of First Instance is the highest court in Hong Kong that can hear cases at first instance with unlimited j...
Hong Kong District CourtPre-handover nameTraditional Chinese地方法院The District Court (in , HKDC) is the intermediate court in Hong Kong, having limited criminal and civil jurisdictions. The hierarchy of the Hong Kong judiciary from high to low is: the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court (consisting of the upper Court of Appeal and the lower Court of First Instance), the District Court, and magistrates' courts. The District Court was first established in 1953 with the enactment of the District Court Ordinance, and is roughly equ...
Magistrates' court (Hong Kong)The magistrates' courts (in , HKMagC) are the lowest tier of criminal courts in Hong Kong. They have criminal jurisdiction over a wide range of offences, and in general these offences must only constitute two years' imprisonment or a fine of HK$100,000; in certain circumstances, sentences of three years may be imposed. Their jurisdiction and sentencing powers are set out in the Magistrates Ordinance (Cap. 227). The hierarchy of the Hong Kong judiciary from high to low is: the Court of Final Appeal, the High Cour...
Hong Kong High CourtThe High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a part of the Judiciary of Hong Kong, consisting of the upper Court of Appeal and the lower Court of First Instance. It also deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. The hierarchy of the Hong Kong judiciary from high to low is: the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court (consisting of the upper Court of Appeal and the lower Court of First Instance), the District Court, and magistrates' courts. It is a superior co...
Lands Tribunal (Hong Kong)The Lands Tribunal (in , HKLdT) is a tribunal in Hong Kong that deals with legal disputes over land. It was established by the Lands Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 17). It is situated in the former Kowloon Magistracy building. The presidency of Lands Tribunal is held by a Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. Disputes not resolved at this level are taken to the Court of Appeal. CompositionThe Lands Tribunal consists of professional judges: a President (who is a Judge of the Court of First Instance of...
Judiciary of Hong KongThe Judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the judicial branch of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Under the Basic Law of Hong Kong, it exercises the judicial power of the Region and is independent of the executive and legislative branches of the Government. The courts in Hong Kong hear and adjudicate all prosecutions and civil disputes, including all public and private law matters. The hierarchy of the Hong Kong judiciary from high to low is: the Court of Final Appeal, the High ...
Secretary for JusticeThe secretary for justice (Chinese: 律政司司長) is the head of the Hong Kong Department of Justice, the chief legal advisor to the chief executive of Hong Kong and the government, and the chief law enforcement officer of the Government of Hong Kong. Before the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, the position was known as the Attorney-General of Hong Kong. Like all other principal officials, the secretary for justice is appointed by the Central Government on the nomination of the Chief Executive, and is an official ...
Criminal lawCriminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and welfare of people, including oneself. Most criminal law is established by statute, which is to say that the laws are enacted by a legislature. Criminal law includes the punishment and rehabilitation of persons who violate such laws. Criminal law varies according to jurisdiction, and differs from civil law, where emphasis is more on dispute r...
Civil law (common law)Civil law is a major "branch of the law", in common law legal systems including those in England and Wales and in the United States, where it stands in contrast to criminal law. Private law, which relates to civil wrongs and quasi-contracts, is part of civil law, as is contract law and law of property (excluding property-related crimes, such as theft or vandalism).
Case citationCase citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Case citations are formatted differently in different jurisdictions, but generally contain the same key information. A legal citation is a "reference to a legal precedent or authority, such as a case, statute, or treatise, that either substantiates or contradicts a given position...
PrecedentPrecedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the principle of stare decisis ("to stand by things decided"), where past judicial decisions serve as case law to guide future rulings, thus promoting consistency and predictability. Precedent is a defining feature that sets common law systems apart from civil law systems. In common law, precedent can either be something cou...*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.