HONG KONG - The Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday endorsed the appointment of Lord Patrick Hodge as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.

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With the new appointment, the panel of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal will consist of 14 judges

The appointment of Lord Hodge, who currently serves as deputy president of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, will take effect in January 2021 for a term of three years.

With the new appointment, the panel of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal will consist of 14 judges. There are also four non-permanent local judges of the court.

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The presence of these non-permanent judges shows the judicial independence of Hong Kong, helps maintain a high degree of confidence in Hong Kong's legal system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, said.