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World-Renowned Jurists Hosted by CUHK Law: A Dialogue between Justice Scalia and Justice Bokhary
Revolving around the theme of ‘Judges and Democracy’, The Faculty of Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) hosted a remarkable dialogue between United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and legendary Hong Kong Justice Kemal Bokhary, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal. The event was held today (1 February 2016) at the Graduate Law Centre of CUHK. It was moderated by Professor Bryan Garner, a globally distinguished expert on legal writing and the editor in chief for the famous Black’s Law Dictionary.
This high-profile event drew many luminaries from legal community. There was a capacity audience with an attendance of over 200 included Deemster David Doyle, QC, Deputy Governor of the Isle of Man, The Hon. Justice Kevin Paul ZERVOS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, Dr. Anthony Neoh, SC, JP, Chief Advisor to the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Mr. Thomas C. Leighton, Vice President, Government Relations & Content Acquisition of Thomson Reuters. Representatives from Hong Kong Judiciary, Consulate General of the United States, The Law Society of Hong Kong, amongst others, also participated.
Justice Scalia and Justice Bokhary discussed and shared their views and perspective on ‘Judges and Democracy’. The inspired discussion provided perceptive insights into democracy. It was a valuable opportunity to appreciate the viewpoints of influential judges from different jurisdictions.
About the Speakers
The Honourable Justice Antonin Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He received his A.B. from Georgetown University and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He was a Sheldon Fellow of Harvard University from 1960–1961. Following a period in private practice, he held professorships at the University of Virginia and the University of Chicago as well as Visiting Professorships at Georgetown University and Stanford University. He served the Federal government as General Counsel of the Office of Telecommunications Policy from 1971–1972, Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 1972–1974, and Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1974–1977. He was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982. President Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat September 26, 1986.
The Honourable Justice Kemal Bokhary was born in Hong Kong. He received his legal education in London. He was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1970 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1971. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1983. Mr. Justice Bokhary joined the Hong Kong Judiciary as a Judge of the High Court in 1989. He was appointed a Justice of Appeal in 1993. From 1997 to 2012, he served as a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal. Since retirement as a Permanent Judge, he has published Recollections, The Law is a Crocodile and Crocodile-at-Law, reflecting upon his career in the law and has recently completed a new book on human rights. Mr. Justice Bokhary was made an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2001. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa by the University of Hong Kong in 2012. Mr. Justice Bokhary is an Honorary Life Member of the Hong Kong Bar Association and Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2012.
Professor Bryan Garner is a U.S. lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher who has written several books about English usage and style, including Garner’s Modern American Usage and Elements of Legal Style. He has served as editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary since 1995, and coauthored two books with Justice Antonin Scalia: Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, and Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts. Professor Garner is a prolific lecturer, having taught more than 2,500 writing workshops since the 1991 founding of his company, LawProse, Inc., and he is a distinguished Research Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Professor Christopher Gane, Dean of the Faculty of Law, CUHK (2nd right) presents souvenirs to Justice Kemal Bokhary, (1st right), Justice Antonin Scalia (2nd left) and Professor Bryan Garner.
CUHK Law hosts a dialogue between Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (left) and Justice Kemal Bokhary, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.
Over 200 audience attend the event.
