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High court (Malaysia)

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High Court of Malaya/
High Court of Sabah and Sarawak
Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya/
Mahkamah Tinggi Sabah dan Sarawak
Established1957
Composition methodRoyal appointment with the advice of the Prime Minister
Authorised byFederal Constitution
Appeals toCourt of Appeals of Malaysia
Judge term lengthCompulsory retirement at age 66
Number of positionsPeninsular Malaysia: 60 (including 16 vacancies)
Sabah and Sarawak: 13 (including 5 vacancies)
Websitewww.kehakiman.gov.my
Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya
CurrentlyHasnah Mohammed Hashim
Since12 November 2024
Chief Judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak
CurrentlyAbdul Rahman Sebli
Since17 January 2023

The high courts in Malaysia are the third-highest courts in the hierarchy of courts, after the Federal Court and the Court of Appeal. Article 121 of the Constitution of Malaysia provides that there shall be two high courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction—the High Court in Malaya and the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak (before 1994, the High Court in Borneo). Before 1969, the High Court in Singapore was also part of the Malaysian courts system (see Law of Singapore).

The High Court in Malaya has its principal registry in Kuala Lumpur, with other registries to be found in all states in Peninsular Malaysia, while the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak has its principal registry in Kuching, with other registries elsewhere in Sabah and Sarawak. There are in total 22 high court registries across all 13 states in Malaysia.[1] The two High Courts also travel on circuit to other smaller towns.

The two high courts, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court are classified as superior courts, while the magistrates' courts and the sessions courts are classified as the subordinate courts. The high courts function both as a court of original jurisdiction as well as an appellate court, and are each headed by a chief judge (before 1994, chief justice). The chief judges of Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak are the third and fourth highest positions in Malaysian judiciary after the Chief Justice of the Federal Court (before 1994, the Lord President of the Supreme Court) and the President of the Court of Appeal.[2]

High court registries in Malaysia

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All high court registries and the subordinate courts found in Peninsular Malaysia including the courts in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are under the jurisdiction of the High Court in Malaya. Similarly, all courts found in East Malaysia are under the jurisdiction of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak including the courts in the Federal Territory of Labuan.

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Locations of High Courts in Malaysia

List of chief justices and chief judges

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Johor Bahru High Court

Malaya and Malaysia (on the federation level)

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Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Malayan Union (1946 – 1948)

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  • 1946–1948: Sir Harold Curwen Willan[3]

Chief Justice of the Federation of Malaya (1948 – 1957)

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Chief Justice of the Federation of Malaya (1957 – 1963)

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Lord President of the Federal Court (1963 – 1985)

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Main article: Lord President of the Federal Court

Lord President of the Supreme Court (1985 – 1994)

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Main article: Lord President of the Supreme Court

States of Malaya (since 1963)

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Chief Justice of Malaya (1963 – 1994, after which the designation was changed to Chief Judge of Malaya)

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Source:[4]

Some modern texts will refer to them as Chief Judges.[5]

Chief Judge of Malaya (since 1994)

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Borneo (North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak)

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Main article: Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak
North Borneo Sarawak
Office Justice Tenure Office Justice Tenure
Chief Justice of North Borneo
(until 1951)		 Charles Frederick Cunningham Macaskie CMG 1934 to 1941 Chief Justice of Sarawak
(1930-1951)		 Thomas Jamieson Laycock Stirling Boyd 1930 to 1939
H. Thackwell-Lewis 1939 to 1945
Japanese occupation 1942 to 1945 Japanese occupation 1942 to 1945
Sir Ivor Llewellyn Brace 1945 to 1951 Robert Yorke Hedges 1946 to 1951
Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei
Office Title Justice Tenure
Chief Justice of the Combined Judiciary of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei
(1951–1963)		 Sir Ivor Llewellyn Brace 02009-10-01-031 December 1951 – 02009-10-01-0324 October 1952
Sir Ernest Hillas Williams JP c. 1957
Sir John Ainley MC 02009-10-01-035 December 1959 – 02009-10-01-031 January 1963
Sir William Campbell Wylie QC 02009-10-01-032 January 1963 – 02009-10-01-0315 September 1963
Sabah and Sarawak
Office Title Justice Tenure
Chief Justice of Borneo
(1963–1994)		 Sir William Campbell Wylie QC 02009-10-01-0316 September 1963 – 02009-10-01-0327 August 1965
Sir Tan Sri Philip Ernest Housden Pike QC 02009-10-01-0311 September 1965 – 02009-10-01-0327 August 1968
Tan Sri Dato' Ismail Khan Ibrahim Khan 02009-10-01-032 September 1968 – 02009-10-01-0331 December 1973
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Lee Hun Hoe 02009-10-01-031 January 1974 – 02009-10-01-0331 December 1988
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Jemuri Serjan 02009-10-01-0311 March 1989 – 02009-10-01-0323 June 1994
Office Title Justice Tenure
Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak
(since 1994)		 Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Jemuri Serjan 02009-10-01-0324 June 1994 – 02009-10-01-039 September 1994
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Chong Siew Fai 02009-10-01-0316 June 1995 – 02009-10-01-033 July 2000
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Steve Shim Lip Kiong 02009-10-01-032 July 2000 – 02009-10-01-0325 July 2006
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Richard Malanjum 02009-10-01-0326 July 2006 – 02009-10-01-0311 July 2018
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima David Wong Dak Wah 02009-10-01-0311 July 2018 – 02009-10-01-0319 February 2020
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim 02009-10-01-0325 February 2020 – 02009-10-01-0317 January 2023
Dato' Abdul Rahman Sebli 02009-10-01-0317 January 2023 – 02009-10-01-03incumbent

Singapore

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Main article: Chief Justice of Singapore
Office Title Justice Tenure
Chief Justice of Singapore
(1963–1969 (as part of Malaysia, 1963–1965))		 Tan Sri Wee Chong Jin 1963 to 1969

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "List of court addresses". Judiciary of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
  2. ^ "Operation of the court". Judiciary of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
  3. ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette, 12 June, 1947" (PDF). London Gazette. 12 June 1947. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Assessing the Racial Composition of the Malaysian Judiciary | LoyarBurok". 11 February 2010.
  5. ^ (2015) p.107, The Malaysian Judiciary Yearbook 2015, http://www.kehakiman.gov.my/sites/default/files/YearBook2015.pdf Archived 26 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine
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