The Chief Justice of Malaysia ( Malay: ''Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia''), also known as the chief justice of the Federal Court, is the office and title of the head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 1994, and prior to this it was known as the lord president of the Federal Court. The chief justice is the head of the Federal Court, the

apex court 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 o ...

of Malaysia. It is the highest position in Malaysian judicial system followed by the

president of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia The President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (Malay: ''Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan''), is the office and title of the deputy head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, when the Court of Appeal of Mala ...

chief judge of Malaya 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 jurisd ...

, and the

chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak The Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak ( Malay: ''Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak''; ), formerly the Chief Justice of Borneo, is the office and title of the head of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, ...

. The current chief justice is

Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat ( ms, تڠكو ميمون توان مت, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 2 July 1959) is a Malaysian lawyer who has served as the 10th Chief Justice of Malaysia since May 2019. She is the first woman ...

, since 2 May 2019.

Constitutional basis

The office of Chief Justice of the Federal Court is established under Article 122 of the

Constitution of Malaysia The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...

, which establishes the then-Supreme Court (now Federal Court) as consisting of a lord president (now chief justice), the chief judges of the High Courts and at least four other judges and such additional judges as may be appointed pursuant to Clause (1A).

Role

The chief justice is

first among equals ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...

among the judges of the Federal Court, and the position differs little from that of the other judges. All judges, including the chief justice, are appointed by the

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

(King of Malaysia), on the advice of the

prime minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the f ...

. Under Article 125 of the

Malaysian Constitution The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...

, they can be removed only by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, on a recommendation from a tribunal consisting of at least five judges who are current or former Federal Court judges. Reasons for removal include the chief justice: * not following the Judges’ Code of Ethics; or * being physically or mentally unable to carry out his or her duties. The prime minister will then provide the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the reason(s) why the chief justice should be removed. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong will then proceed to set up the tribunal to make a decision.

Chief justices of Malaysia

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto; width:100%;" ! Chief Justice ! Born ! Alma mater ! Tenure started ! Tenure ended ! Duration ! class="unsortable" , Prior senior judicial offices , - , rowspan="2", , rowspan="2",
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Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincol ...

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Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

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Chief Judge of Malaya 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 jurisd ...

(1994) , - , ,
(age ) ,

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's I ...

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National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in th ...

, rowspan="5", 16 March 2003 , rowspan="5", 31 October 2007 , rowspan="5", , Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1989-1995) , - , Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (1995-2000) , - , Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2000-2001) , - , rowspan="2",

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. listof all ...

(2001–2002) , - ,

President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia The President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (Malay: ''Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan''), is the office and title of the deputy head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, when the Court of Appeal of Mala ...

(2002-2003) , - , ,
(age ) ,

University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the ...

, 2 November 2007 , 18 October 2008 , ,

(2007) , - , rowspan="2", , rowspan="2",
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, rowspan="2", 18 October 2008 , rowspan="2", 9 September 2011 , rowspan="2", , Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2007) , - ,

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University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, rowspan="4", 12 September 2011 , rowspan="4", 31 March 2017 , rowspan="4", , Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1994-2002) , - , Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2002-2005) , - , rowspan="2",

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2005-2008) , - ,

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University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

, rowspan="3", 1 April 2017 , rowspan="3", 10 July 2018 , rowspan="3", , Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1996-2006) , - , rowspan="2",

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

, Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2006-2011) , - ,

(2011–2017) , - , rowspan="4", , rowspan="4",
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MARA University of Technology The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Mal ...

, rowspan="4", 11 July 2018 , rowspan="4", 12 April 2019 , rowspan="4", , Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (2004-2006) , - , Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2002-2005) , - ,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

, Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2005-2006) , - ,

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak The Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak ( Malay: ''Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak''; ), formerly the Chief Justice of Borneo, is the office and title of the head of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, ...

(2006–2018) , - , rowspan="3", , rowspan="3",
(age ) , rowspan="3",

, rowspan="3", 2 May 2019 , rowspan="3", ''Incumbent'' , rowspan="3", {{age in years and days, 2019, 5, 2, sep=and, duration=on , Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (2007-2013) , - , Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2013-2018) , - , Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2018-2019) , -

References

Chief Justices of Malaysia

Constitutional basis

Role

Chief justices of Malaysia

See also

References