Chief Justice of Malaysia


The chief justice of 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 of Malaysia. It is the highest position in Malaysian judicial system followed by the president of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia, chief judge of Malaya, and the chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
The current chief justice is Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, 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, which establishes the then-Supreme Court as consisting of a lord president, the chief judges of the High Courts and at least four other judges and such additional judges as may be appointed pursuant to Clause.

Role

The chief justice is first among equals 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, on the advice of the prime minister of Malaysia. Under Article 125 of the Malaysian Constitution, 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:
The prime minister will then provide the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the reason 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

Chief JusticeBornAlma materTenure startedTenure endedDurationPrior senior judicial offices
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Lincoln's Inn02009-10-01-0310 November 198802009-10-01-0324 September 1994
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Oklahoma City University02009-10-01-0310 November 198802009-10-01-0324 September 1994
'02009-10-01-0325 September 199402009-10-01-0319 December 2000Chief Judge of Malaya
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Middle Temple02009-10-01-0320 December 200002009-10-01-0314 March 2003
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National University of Singapore02009-10-01-0316 March 200302009-10-01-0331 October 2007Judge of the High Court of Malaysia
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National University of Singapore02009-10-01-0316 March 200302009-10-01-0331 October 2007Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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National University of Singapore02009-10-01-0316 March 200302009-10-01-0331 October 2007Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel02009-10-01-0316 March 200302009-10-01-0331 October 2007Chief Judge of Malaya
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel02009-10-01-0316 March 200302009-10-01-0331 October 2007President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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University of Singapore02009-10-01-032 November 200702009-10-01-0318 October 2008President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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Lincoln's Inn02009-10-01-0318 October 200802009-10-01-039 September 2011Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia
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Lincoln's Inn02009-10-01-0318 October 200802009-10-01-039 September 2011President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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University of Sheffield02009-10-01-0312 September 201102009-10-01-0331 March 2017Judge of the High Court of Malaysia
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University of Sheffield02009-10-01-0312 September 201102009-10-01-0331 March 2017Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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University College London02009-10-01-0312 September 201102009-10-01-0331 March 2017Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia
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University College London02009-10-01-0312 September 201102009-10-01-0331 March 2017Chief Judge of Malaya
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University of Malaya02009-10-01-031 April 201702009-10-01-0310 July 2018Judge of the High Court of Malaysia
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London School of Economics02009-10-01-031 April 201702009-10-01-0310 July 2018Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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London School of Economics02009-10-01-031 April 201702009-10-01-0310 July 2018President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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MARA University of Technology02009-10-01-0311 July 201802009-10-01-0312 April 2019Judge of the High Court of Malaysia
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MARA University of Technology02009-10-01-0311 July 201802009-10-01-0312 April 2019Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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University of London02009-10-01-0311 July 201802009-10-01-0312 April 2019Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia
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Gray's Inn02009-10-01-0311 July 201802009-10-01-0312 April 2019Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak
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University of Malaya02009-10-01-032 May 2019IncumbentJudge of the High Court of Malaysia
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University of Malaya02009-10-01-032 May 2019IncumbentJudge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
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University of Malaya02009-10-01-032 May 2019IncumbentJudge of the Federal Court of Malaysia

Living former chief justices