HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong government is failing to act on judicial nominations despite an acute shortage of judges, sources told Nikkei Asia, raising further concerns over the functioning of the legal system under tightened control by Beijing.
Three out of six potential High Court judges put forward by the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) in its last round of suggestions in 2021 were never appointed by the city's leader. One candidate pulled out of the process due to concerns over sweeping changes in the legal landscape made by the national security law that Beijing imposed in mid-2020, while another failed to pass a background check, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
