Anthony Mason, who helped put top Hong Kong court on the map, dies at age 100
City leader, current and former top judges pay tribute to former Australian chief justice and praise ‘his profound wisdom and illustrious experience’
Former Australian chief justice Anthony Mason, who was one of the first non-permanent judges to join the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and oversaw many of its early key constitutional cases, has died at the age of 100.
Tributes from current and former city officials poured in for the late jurist on Wednesday, just a day after he died.
Mason is widely considered to have been pivotal in establishing the court’s role under Hong Kong’s new constitutional order following the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, in addition to building the court’s reputation in the common law world.
Born in Australia in 1925, Mason served his country as part of its air force during World War II. He would later graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney before being admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1951.
Following a period of service on the Supreme Court of New South Wales, he was appointed to the bench of Australia’s High Court in 1972.
He then served as its chief justice from 1987 to 1995, earning a reputation as one of the country’s most respected holders of the office.