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Law, Order and Records
THE COURTS OF JUSTICE
THE Courts in Hong Kong are the Full Court, the Supreme Court, the District Court, the Magistrates' Court, the Tenancy Tribunal and the Marine Court. The Full Court hears appeals from the Supreme Court and the District Court, and has jurisdiction cor- responding roughly to that of the Court of Appeal and the Court of Criminal Appeal in England. Final appeals from Hong Kong go to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
The Supreme Court tries criminal cases with a jury and has civil jurisdiction similar to that of the King's Bench and Chancery Divisions of the English High Court. It also exercises jurisdiction in probate, divorce, admiralty, lunacy, bankruptcy and company winding-up matters. It has an appellate jurisdiction in which it hears appeals from the Magistrates' Court and the Marine Court. The District Court has a criminal jurisdiction limited to the im- position of up to five years imprisonment, and civil jurisdiction in cases where the subject matter involved does not exceed $5,000. It also has an appellate jurisdiction in stamp appeals, rating appeals and appeals from the Tenancy Tribunal. Trial in both criminal and civil proceedings in the District Court is by judge alone. The Magistrates' Courts exercise a criminal jurisdiction similar to that of magistrates in England. They also have a limited jurisdiction in domestic matters.
Since the war many changes in the social and economic structure of the Colony, including the growth of new and heavily populated industrial centres and a greatly increased population generally, have necessitated the creation of a number of additional courts. The Chief Justice is head of the judiciary, and he and four puisne judges deal with all business in the Full Court, and in the Supreme Court in all its various jurisdictions. In the District Court there are six district judges. Normally three magistrates sit at the Central