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78-582: The bypass opened to traffic on 20 January 2019. The project, originally estimated to cost HK$ 28 billion, was approved by the Legislative Council finance committee in 2009, following a "decade of objections and legal challenges" from environmentalists and citizens concerned by further reclamation of Victoria Harbour . An Environmental Permit was issued under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and construction began

156-543: A common law jurisdiction. Judges from other common law jurisdictions can be recruited and serve in the judiciary as non-permanent judges according to Article 92 of the Basic Law; to date, Judges appointed have served in the judiciaries of England and Wales , Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Scotland . Aside from the Chief Justice, there is no nationality requirement for any of the permanent or non-permanent judges. Whether

234-569: A "surprise" by the SCMP. Bokhary himself has said that he believes his tenure was not extended due to his "liberal judgments". The introduction of designated national security law judges created two new exclusions for justices on the Court: an overseas non-permanent judge now no longer sits in on a full hearing if it is a national security law case, and not all non-permanent judges—even those from Hong Kong—are approved to sit on national security law cases. This

312-476: A bench of five judges consisting of the Chief Justice, three permanent judges and a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction. If the Chief Justice does not sit in an appeal, a permanent judge is designated to sit in the Chief Justice's place, and a non-permanent judge from Hong Kong will sit on the court as well. Similarly, if a permanent judge is unable to sit, a non-permanent Hong Kong judge will sit in place of that permanent judge. Technically, should

390-693: A district magnitude of 2 ("binomial system"). The binomial system was instituted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in its amendment to Annex 2 of the Basic Law on 30 March 2021. Geographical constituencies were first introduced in Hong Kong's first legislative election with direct elections in 1991 . The electoral system and boundaries of GCs have since changed: ( Largest remainder method : Hare quota ) Between 1998 and 2016,

468-509: A drop in the share of directly elected representatives from 50% to 22% and an increase in the overall number of seats from 70 to 90, along with the establishment of a screening committee to vet candidates. The original two groups (GCs and FCs) had constitutional significance. Government bills requires a simple majority of the council for passage, whereas private member bills requires simple majorities in two discrete divisions of geographical members and functional members for passage. Therefore,

546-482: A member is constitutionally four years except for the first term (1998 to 2000) which was set to be two years according to Article 69 of the Basic Law . The 6th Legislative Council 's term of office of over five years from 2016 is in direct violation of Article 69 of the Basic Law. In both the 2008 and 2004 elections, 30 members were directly elected by universal suffrage from geographical constituencies (GCs) and 30 were elected from functional constituencies (FCs). In

624-562: A national security case. No non-permanent judge from overseas jurisdictions had ever quit the Court mid-term before the enactment of the National Security Law. In September 2020, then-non-permanent judge James Spigelman resigned in response to China's controversial National Security Law being imposed on Hong Kong, but Spigelman did not elaborate further. In March 2022, both Lord Reed and Lord Hodge resigned as non-permanent judges, citing

702-553: A non-permanent judge from outside Hong Kong be unable to attend due to extraordinary circumstances (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic ), two non-permanent Hong Kong judges may sit on the court or, or the overseas judge may sit via video conferencing. As the role of a non-permanent judge is not a full time role, a serving High Court judge may be appointed as a non-permanent judge concurrently, such as Vice-President Robert Tang and Vice-President Frank Stock , as they were then known. This

780-416: A prospective appellant is permitted to appeal or not is determined by a panel of three Hong Kong judges, usually the Chief Justice and two other permanent judges. Should the Chief Justice or a permanent judge not be available, the other permanent judge or a non-permanent judge from Hong Kong may be called in. Non-permanent judges from other jurisdictions do not sit on such panels. All appeal cases are heard by

858-484: A report on 12 May 2023 suggesting sanctions be placed on 29 hand-picked Hong Kong national security judges (which includes the Chief Justice and 3 Permanent Judges), saying, "As participants in this system, judges appointed to handle national security cases contribute to these systemic violations." This suggestion was rejected by both the Hong Kong Bar Association and the judiciary, stressing that, "...there

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936-565: A slanging match with the Chief Executive [John Lee], and certainly not with the Chief Justice [Andrew Cheung], for whom I have the greatest respect." Within hours of the CFA allowing media tycoon Jimmy Lai to hire Tim Owen KC , chief executive John Lee announced that the Government would seek an interpretation under Article 158 to overturn the CFA's decision (as well as overturning the decisions by

1014-584: Is also a registrar attached to the Court of Final Appeal, to help with review of appeal applications and other administrative duties; the registrar is usually recruited from the district court level. The list of registrars is as follows: From its inception in July 1997 until September 2015, the court was located in the Former French Mission Building , in Central . In September 2015, the court relocated to

1092-515: Is extended only to the most eminent and senior serving High Court justices. There is no mandatory retirement age for a non-permanent judge. Since the enactment of the National Security Law in 2020, no foreign non-permanent judges has sat during a National Security case, being replaced instead by designated Hong Kong non-permanent judges . Since 2009, under the auspices of the then-Chief Justice Andrew Li , judicial assistants have been appointed to provide support and assistance to its judges. There

1170-505: Is no basis at all to call into question the integrity and independence of Hong Kong judges, whose selection, appointment and discharge of their constitutional role and duties are, and must remain, free from any political considerations and interference." In June 2021, Justice of Appeal Maria Yuen was recommended for appointment as a permanent judge by the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission . However

1248-849: 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 Hong Kong Basic Law , 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

1326-519: The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests , the National People's Congress disqualified several opposition councillors and initiated an electoral overhaul in 2021. The current Legislative Council consists of three groups of constituencies— geographical constituencies (GCs), functional constituencies (FCs), and Election Committee constituencies —and has been dominated by the pro-Beijing camp since an opposition walkout in 2020. The 2021 changes resulted in

1404-556: The District Councillors and elected by all registered electorates. The 2014 Hong Kong electoral reform proposal, which suggested the electoral method of the Legislative Council remain unchanged, was vetoed in 2015, after a massive occupation protest demanding universal suffrage — often dubbed the " Umbrella Revolution " — broke out in 2014. The 2016 New Territories East by-election and September general election saw

1482-555: The High Court (either from the Court of Appeal or the Court of First Instance ). The Court of Final Appeal is made up of the Chief Justices , at least three Permanent Judges , and at most 30 non-permanent Judges who can come from Hong Kong or any overseas Common Law jurisdictions. Under the Basic Law , the constitutional document of Hong Kong, the special administrative region remains

1560-748: The Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) in Shenzhen, under the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China . The Provisional Legislative Council, seen as unconstitutional by the British authorities and boycotted by most pro-democracy legislators , was in operation from 25 January 1997 to 30 June 1998 and held its meetings in Shenzhen until 30 June 1997, when the PLC moved to Hong Kong and replaced

1638-685: The government's constitutional reform proposal became the first and only constitutional move to have been passed by the Legislative Council in the SAR era with the support of the Democratic Party after the Beijing government accepted the modified package as presented by the party, which increased the composition of the Legislative Council from 60 to 70 seats; adding five seats in the directly elected geographical constituencies and five new District Council (Second) functional constituency seats which are nominated by

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1716-419: The president of the Legislative Council being ranked first. Members who did not serve throughout the term are italicised . Supplementary members elected in by-elections are listed below. Key to changes since legislative election: The Geographical Constituency (GC) seats are returned by universal suffrage . 20 seats of the Legislative Council are returned by GCs through single non-transferable vote with

1794-612: The rise of localist tide where a number of pro-independence candidates were elected to the council. In November, in Beijing's fifth interpretation of the Basic Law since the 1997 handover, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) disqualified two pro-independence legislators from assuming public office pursuant to Article 104 . Four more pro-democracy and localist legislators were unseated in subsequent court cases. Returning officers also disqualified certain candidates who had advocated for Hong Kong self-determination, with or without option for independence, from running in

1872-460: The 2000 election, 24 were directly elected, six elected from an 800-member electoral college known as the Election Committee of Hong Kong , and 30 elected from FCs. Since the 2004 election, all the seats are equally divided between geographical and functional constituencies. According to The Basic Law, while the method for forming the Legislative Council shall be specified in accordance with

1950-606: The 28 per cent budget increase. On 15 September 2015, the Director of Highways announced that the Central–Wan Chai Bypass would not open in 2017 as previously anticipated. He blamed a large metal object (probably a sunken ship) that was found on the seabed at the reclamation site in Wan Chai. As a result of the discovery, reclamation works were suspended for some time. The first phase of the project opened on 20 January 2019 with

2028-458: The Basic Law and 1 interpreted the national security law. In 2012, Permanent Judge Kemal Bokhary —known as a leading liberal and dissenting voice on the Court—did not have his tenure extended past the mandated retirement age of 65. His replacement, however, was then-already 65-year-old Robert Tang , who was even older than Bokhary but was seen as more conservative; this appointment was described as

2106-564: The Beijing government resolved to set up an alternative legislative council in preparation for the return of Hong Kong sovereignty from Britain to China. Before the 1997 handover of Hong Kong , rather than working through the 1995 elected colonial legislature , the government of China, through the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), unilaterally established, in 1996,

2184-683: The Beijing-controlled Election Committee and 30 seats would remain trade-based functional constituencies, reducing the proportion of directly elected seats from 50% to 22%. Additionally all candidates must now be approved by the unelected HKSAR government via the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee. This has led to all parties that are not pro-Beijing declining to run in the elections, as it is now reasonable to assume that any pro-democracy candidates fielded that might be electable will be disqualified prior to

2262-619: The CFA are listed below. The controversial power of final interpretation of "national" law including the Basic Law is vested in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China (NPCSC) by virtue of Article 158 of the Basic Law and by the Constitution of the PRC; however, "national" laws which are not explicitly listed in Annex III of the Basic Law are not operative in Hong Kong. Since 2020, Article 158 interpretations may also be applied to

2340-404: The CFA, stating, "...there's going to come a stage where [British judges] are asked to apply and enforce unacceptable laws, and some of us might think that that stage has already come." On 6 June 2024, Lord Sumption and Lord Collins resigned as non-permanent judges, with Lord Collins stating that it was "because of the political situation", whereas Sumption more explicitly stated that Hong Kong

2418-566: The Chamber, major conference rooms, and communal facilities such as library, cafeteria and education facilities. The range of education facilities for visit by the public includes video corner, visitors' sharing area, exhibition area, children's corner, viewing gallery and access corridors, memory lane, education activities rooms and education galleries. The high block, which will be named as the Office Block, mainly houses offices for members and staff of

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2496-707: The Chief Judge and the Court of Appeal). This was roundly condemned by legal pundits, including Elsie Leung and Lord Pannick KC . Even before the interpretation, the Immigration Department withheld Owen's work visa, contrary to what the CFA had ruled. This decision was criticized by leading barrister Lord Pannick KC , who frequently represents the Hong Kong Government in court, and also questioned by Jonathan Kaplan KC, another British King's Counsel who frequently appears in Hong Kong courts. Ultimately, Owen

2574-1023: The French Mission Building), still standing at Government Hill. From 1848 to 1954 (interrupted by renovation in 1928-9 and the Japanese occupation in 1941–5), it was housed on the upper floor of the Colonial Secretariat Building, Lower Albert Road, replaced in 1957 by the Annex to the Central Government Offices Main Wing, on the same site. In 1985, LegCo moved down to the nearby Old Supreme Court building ( 22°16′52″N 114°09′36″E  /  22.280996°N 114.160116°E  / 22.280996; 114.160116 ) in Central Hong Kong where it remained until November 2011. It took up residence in its present accommodation at

2652-545: The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Rules set out the detailed functions and procedures of the court. The court meets in the Court of Final Appeal Building located in Central, Hong Kong . From the 1840s to 30 June 1997, Hong Kong was a British Dependent Territory , and the power of final adjudication on the laws of Hong Kong was vested in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The handover of Hong Kong from

2730-431: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region , colloquially known as LegCo , is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong . It sits under China's " one country, two systems " constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong's hybrid representative democracy , though popular representation in the legislature has diminished significantly in recent years, along with its political diversity. The functions of

2808-458: The Hong Kong national security law. Article 158 delegates such power to the courts of Hong Kong for interpretation while handling court cases. Although this arrangement has attracted criticism of "undermining judicial independence", an interpretation by the NPCSC does not affect any court judgments already rendered. This practice is highly controversial as it contradicts the power of final adjudication;

2886-652: The Legislative Block of the Central Government Complex, Tamar in December 2011. Unlike many other former and current Commonwealth legislatures, the Hong Kong Legislative Council does not have a ceremonial mace placed in its chambers. However, the high courts of Hong Kong use a mace to open sessions, and it represents the authority and powers of the court. To provide a long-term solution to

2964-611: The Legislative Council Secretariat. Officially opened on 1 August 2011, administrative staff had already taken occupation on 15 January 2011. Under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes initiated by the National People's Congress , the Legislative Council is now composed of 90 members returned from 3 constituencies: the Election Committee Constituency , Functional Constituencies and Geographical Constituencies by popular vote. The term of office of

3042-559: The Legislative Council are to enact, amend or repeal laws; examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure; and raise questions on the work of the government. In addition, the Legislative Council also has the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court , as well as the power to impeach the Chief Executive of Hong Kong . Following

3120-464: The Legislative Council to advise the Governor of Hong Kong 's administration. The council had four official members including the governor who was president of the council when it was first established. The Letters Patent of 1888, which replaced the 1843 charter, added the significant words "and consent" after the words "with the advice". The Legislative Council was initially set up as the advisory body to

3198-482: The Legislative Council. The reform would allow a new Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, composed entirely of principal officials from the Hong Kong government, to vet candidates for the Legislative Council and would increase its total number of seats from 70 to 90. However, the seats that were directly elected would be reduced from 35 to 20, the five directly elected District Council (Second) seats would also be removed, while an additional 40 seats would be elected by

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3276-613: The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Representatives of Relevant National Organisations FCs. Functional constituencies are now principally elected by body votes; the number of FCs with individual votes were reduced, together with elimination of mixed individual and body voting systems. The following FCs were abolished in the 2021 electoral reform. Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ( HKCFA )

3354-524: The National Security Law leading to the judges being unable to "continue to sit in Hong Kong without appearing to endorse an administration which has departed from values of political freedom, and freedom of expression, to which the Justices of the Supreme Court are deeply committed." In November 2022, Lady Hale—who had refused to renew her tenure on the Court in 2020—suggested that British judges should leave

3432-461: The United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was on 1 July 1997. Based on the one country, two systems principle, Hong Kong retains a high degree of autonomy and maintains its own legal system. The Court of Final Appeal was established on 1 July 1997 in Central , Hong Kong. Since then, it has served as the court of last resort ; the court has the power of final adjudication with respect to

3510-534: The United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2018, Beverly McLachlin—the former Chief Justice of Canada—became the first Canadian (and, along with Baroness Hale, one of the first two women) to be appointed to the CFA. While the CFA is the final appellate court in Hong Kong, and is granted power of final adjudication, the fact that the Central Government of China has the power to interpret—in essence overturn—the CFA's rulings has caused great controversy over

3588-581: The air extraction path, the location of proposed East Ventilation Building (EVB) needs to be as close to the tunnel portal as possible. Legislative Council of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Download coordinates as: The Legislative Council of

3666-459: The bypass via Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter leave the tunnel and connect with Island Eastern Corridor at Fortress Hill was amended so that the bypass would now emerge from the tunnel between the IEC carriageways, merging with them near Oil Street, Fortress Hill . Ventilation is an indispensable part for the operation of the tunnel as it will supply fresh air to maintain good air-quality environment to

3744-576: The commuters inside the tunnel while discharge vitiated air in a controlled manner at pre-determined suitable locations of exhaust. The tunnel ventilation system is also required to remove smoke in case of tunnel fire incidents. It is proposed to have three ventilation buildings sited near the western end, mid-length and eastern end of the Bypass to achieve the three objectives of supplying fresh air, extracting vitiated air and removing smoke during fire. To achieve an energy efficient ventilation system by shortening

3822-498: The directly elected legislators (mainly from the GCs) had minimal influence over government policy and legislative agenda. The historical Legislative Council of Hong Kong in the British colonial era was created under the 1843 Charter as an advisory council to the Governor . The authority of the colonial legislature expanded throughout its history. A parallel Provisional Legislative Council

3900-764: The dissolution of District Council (First) and District Council (Second) FCs. Three existing FCs were reconstituted: the Information Technology FC reorganised as the Technology & Innovation FC ; the Medical FC and Health Services FC combined to form the Medical and Health Services FC. Two new FCs were established, namely the Commercial (Third) and the HKSAR Deputies to the National People's Congress, HKSAR Members of

3978-472: The elected legislature from the 1997 handover of Hong Kong until the 1998 Hong Kong legislative election . Since 2000, the terms of the Legislative Council have been four years, with the exception of the 6th Legislative Council . The current HKSAR Legislative Council was established on 1 October 1998 under the Hong Kong Basic Law . The first meeting of the council was held in July of the same year. Five subsequent Legislative Council elections have been held —

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4056-461: The election. In this Legislative Council, 59 of the 90 members elected in the 2021 election were elected for the first time, or were not members of the last Legislative Council . All members are listed by seniority according to the year of the beginning of consecutive service then the order of swearing in (i.e. the number of strokes in the traditional characters of names in Chinese per precedent) with

4134-639: The entire project becoming operational on 24 February that year. The bypass starts from Rumsey Street Flyover at Sheung Wan . It enters a tunnel outside the International Finance Centre in Central , then heads east past the Tamar site in Admiralty with an interchange at Wan Chai . It continues to head east under the proposed reclamation areas of Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau. The original design to have

4212-477: The first time an interpretation occurred in 1999, all five judges (including the Chief Justice, all three permanent justices and one non-permanent justice) involved in the case of Ng Ka Ling v Director of Immigration reportedly considered quitting the top court in protest. The judges ultimately did not quit, as "the justices feared they would be replaced by less independent or competent jurists." Since 1997, there have been 6 interpretations, of which 5 interpreted

4290-476: The following by-elections; the government expressed support for such decisions. The 2019 amendment of the extradition bill caused an historic political upheaval, where intensive protests erupted throughout the city in the latter half of the year, including the storming of the Legislative Council Complex on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong on 1 July. In July 2020, in light of

4368-498: The former (until 2011) Legislative Council Building , which was originally the colonial Supreme Court (1912–1985). The Cheung Court began on 11 January 2021, when Andrew Cheung began his tenure as the 3rd Chief Justice. Currently, 14 justices serve on the Cheung Court, including the Chief Justice, 3 Permanent Judges, and 10 non-permanent judges (6 of whom are from other common law jurisdictions). Traditionally, all overseas non-permanent judges came from three common law jurisdictions:

4446-444: The government to block Jimmy Lai from hiring Tim Owen as his defense lawyer. In September 2023, a report found that at least 66% of all bills that were passed were done with less than half of all Legislative Council members present, below the 50% attendance threshold for a quorum. The first meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, from 1844 to 1846, were likely convened in the residence of Governor Pottinger (later to be

4524-439: The governor, and for most of the time, consisted half of official members, who were the government officials seated in the council, and half of unofficial members who were appointed by the Governor . After the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed on 19 December 1984 (in which the United Kingdom agreed to the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997), the Hong Kong government decided to start

4602-414: The largest party for the first time and has since held its superior status. Due to the indirectly elected trade-based functional constituencies which largely favour business interests — represented by the Liberal Party and subsequently the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) — the pro-Beijing camp has been able to keep the majority in the legislature despite receiving fewer votes than

4680-447: The last years of the colonial rule. The People's Republic of China government did not agree with reforms to the Legislative Council enacted by the last Governor Chris Patten in 1994. Therefore, it withdrew the previous so-called "through-train" policy that would have allowed for members elected to the colonial Legislative Council automatically becoming members of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) legislature. Instead,

4758-475: The law of Hong Kong as well as the power of final interpretation over local laws including the power to strike down local ordinances on the grounds of inconsistency with the Basic Law. However, this power is not absolute; the court's decisions can be overturned by the Chinese government via a controversial process known as an "interpretation" via Article 158 of the Basic Law. The Court of Final Appeal has no original jurisdiction ; an appeal has to originate from

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4836-437: The legislature with virtually no opposition. On 27 January 2021, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping said that Hong Kong could only maintain its long-term stability and security by ensuring "patriots governing Hong Kong" when he reviewed a work report delivered by Carrie Lam . In March 2021, China's National People's Congress passed a resolution that authorised an overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system , including that of

4914-399: The most recent being held on 4 September 2016 . The Democratic Party had briefly held the largest-party status in the early years of the SAR period, but its support was slowly eaten away by its pro-democracy allies such as The Frontier and later the Civic Party . In the 2004 election , the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) surpassed the Democrats as

4992-408: The principle of gradual and orderly progress, the ultimate aim is to elect all Council members by universal suffrage ( Article 68 of The Basic Law of Hong Kong ). However, under the 2021 overhaul, the seats that were directly elected would be reduced from 35 back down to 20, the five directly elected District Council (Second) seats would also be removed, while an additional 40 seats would be elected by

5070-424: The pro-Beijing Election Committee and 30 seats would remain trade-based functional constituencies. Every candidate must have nominations from each of the five sectors in the Election Committee. The seventh Legislative Council term, beginning in January 2022, made changes where lawmakers' names were replaced with "a member" or "members" in meeting minutes, a change which the Hong Kong Journalists Association said

5148-399: The pro-democracy bloc in the direct elections. Article 68 of the Hong Kong Basic Law states that the ultimate aim is the election of all the members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage . This and a similar article dealing with election of the Chief Executive have made universal suffrage for the council and the Chief Executive a dominant issue in Hong Kong politics. In 2010,

5226-415: The pro-democrats' attempt to seize the majority of the Legislative Council in the midst of the largely unpopular Carrie Lam government , the government postponed the seventh general election , citing the COVID-19 spike . At variance with the four-year term set out in the Basic Law, the NPCSC decided in August that the sitting Legislative Council should continue with its duties for at least one year; however,

5304-464: The process of democratisation based on the consultative document, Green Paper: the Further Development of Representative Government in Hong Kong on 18 July 1984. The first elections to the Council were held in 1985 , followed by the first direct elections of the Legislative Council held in 1991. The Legislative Council became a fully elected legislature for the first time in 1995 and extensively expanded its functions and organisations throughout

5382-454: The same year. Lawmakers were "shocked" in 2013 by cost overruns . The Transport and Housing Bureau requested HK$ 8 billion in extra funding, bringing the total bill to HK$ 36 billion. Gary Fan , a member of LegCo's transport panel, asked: "Did the government deliberately underestimate the cost in order to get Legco to pass it?" The government bureau blamed unforeseen geotechnical difficulties as well as fluctuating labour and materials costs for

5460-447: The space shortage problem facing both the Government and the Legislative Council, the Government commissioned the Tamar Development for the design and construction of the Central Government Complex , the Legislative Council Complex and other ancillary facilities in 2008. The Legislative Council Complex comprises a low block and a high block: the low block, which will be named the Council Block, mainly houses conference facilities including

5538-449: The term of the upcoming LegCo would remain four years. In a November decision, the NPCSC disqualified LegCo members on grounds such as Hong Kong independence, Chinese sovereignty, and solicitation of foreign intervention, impacting four sitting legislators whose candidacies had been invalidated in the postponed election. After the disqualification, the 15 remaining pro-democracy legislators announced their resignation in protest , leaving

5616-569: The voting system adopted in GCs is a system of party-list proportional representation , with seats allocated by the largest remainder method using the Hare quota as the quota for election. Under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes , 28 functional constituencies (FC) return 30 members. The Labour Functional Constituency returns three members by block voting . The other FCs return one member each with first-past-the-post voting . The 2021 electoral reform saw

5694-517: The years. This has led the CFA to be mockingly referred to as the "Court of Semi-Final Appeal" by people such as former Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Martin Lee KC SC , veteran activist-investor David Webb , human rights lawyer Mark Daly, as well as the general public. The term "Court of Semi-Final Appeal" was first officially referenced to by then-Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung as far back as 1999. A more detailed list of controversies around

5772-514: Was "slowly becoming a totalitarian state". In response to these resignations, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam SC downplayed the importance of non-permanent judges, said that, "... the credit for the fact that Hong Kong has a high level of rule of law largely goes to our local judges; it is not the case that losing a few non-permanent judges will deal a heavy blow to our rule of law." Lord Sumption then further reiterated that his remarks were not said lightly, and also stated, “I have no desire to engage in

5850-476: Was first evidenced in HKSAR v Lai Chee Ying , where two local non-permanent judges (Stock NPJ and Chan NPJ) sat instead of the usual combination of one local NPJ, and one overseas NPJ. As of 2024, two non-permanent justices (Bokhary NPJ and Tang NPJ) have still not sat in on any national security law cases; it is unclear whether this is because they have not been designated, or simply have not been scheduled to sit in on

5928-486: Was negative and that "One one hand, that would make it more difficult for the public to hold lawmakers accountable, and therefore affect how voters may vote." In April 2023, a survey found that half of Hongkongers were unable to name any serving lawmaker, with another 12% naming somebody not a current lawmaker. In May 2023, the Legislative Council voted with 100% approval to let the chief executive restrict overseas lawyers from national security cases, following attempts by

6006-513: Was put in place by China from 1996 to 1998 to pass laws in anticipation of the Hong Kong handover. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 for the first time as a colonial legislature under British rule. Hong Kong's first constitution, in the form of Queen Victoria 's letters patent , issued on 27 June 1843 and titled the Charter of the Colony of Hong Kong , authorised the establishment of

6084-436: Was replaced by Marc Corlett KC, a New Zealand King's Counsel but who had gained admission to the Hong Kong bar in 2020. Corlett was widely seen as a "like-for-like" replacement for Owen, and showed that overseas specialist lawyers would need to be admitted full-time to the Hong Kong bar before being allowed to participate in national security trials. The United States Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released

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