Supreme Court of Singapore - Calendar

Calendar

The Chief Justice is empowered to determine the sitting times of the High Court and the Court of Appeal and the distribution of business among judges, and to schedule vacations of the Supreme Court not exceeding two months in each calendar year. In general, the High Court and Court of Appeal sits throughout the year except during the mid-year and end-year court vacations (usually end of May to end of June, and the beginning of December to the beginning of January respectively).

The opening of each legal year is marked with a ceremony usually held on the first Saturday of January, though in 2011 it took place on the first Friday. In form it is a court hearing, though lawyers are not required to dress in court robes. During the ceremony, the Attorney-General and the President of the Law Society of Singapore deliver speeches. The Chief Justice then responds with his own speech, and also announces the names of advocates and solicitors appointed as Senior Counsel. The speeches generally summarize legal developments over the past year and look forward to the future, and the Attorney-General and Law Society President traditionally pledge that legal officers and legal practitioners will continue to support the judiciary and co-operate with each other.

The Opening of the Legal Year ceremony can be traced back to the ceremonial opening of the first assizes of the year which was held in the 19th century when Singapore was managed by the East India Company. The assizes were periodic criminal courts held in Singapore. The ceremony ceased for some years but was revived in 1923. In that year the ceremony involved the Chief Justice inspecting a Sikh guard of honour commanded by a subedar outside the Supreme Court, then being met by the Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Sheriff. The four gentlemen made their way to the Chief Justice's chambers in the courthouse, the route lined by police officers and members of the Bar. By 1926, the practice of attending a service at St. Andrew's Cathedral prior to the honour guard inspection had been revived, and in 1955 it was reported that a service was also held at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd for Roman Catholic judges and lawyers. Church services ceased to be an official part of the ceremony when Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, though members of the legal profession continued to attend special services in an unofficial capacity. Following Singapore's full independence in 1965, the ceremony became known as the Opening of the Legal Year. The ceremony was generally held on the first Monday in January following the end-of-year court vacation, but in 1971 for the first time it was held on the first Saturday in January to coincide with the inaugural Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore. This set the trend for subsequent years. It appears that the parade by police officers during which Chief Justice inspected a guard of honour was abolished in the late 1960s or early 1970s.