Why Are Australian, British Judges Leaving Hong Kong’s Top Court?

The role of overseas justices on Hong Kong’s top court has become ‘increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic,’ said Australian Judge Robert French.

A security guard stands outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on March 31, 2022. Australian and Canadian judges confirmed on March 31, 2022 that they will stay on Hong Kong's top court after two senior British judges resigned to avoid endorsing China's crackdown on political freedoms in the financial hub. Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

Hong Kong’s leadership has been forced, in recent days, to explain the departure of multiple foreign judges from the city’s top court, the latest being former Australian Chief Justice Robert French.

The former British colony appoints both local and overseas judges to its highest court—a distinctive arrangement that sets it apart from the opaque legal system of mainland China.