Media Release: Extension of Appointment of Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts and Retirement of Justices Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong

1.    The President of the Republic of Singapore, in accordance with Section 12(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014, has extended the appointment of Justice Teh Hwee Hwee (郑慧慧) as the Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts (FJC) for a period of three years with effect from 1 October 2026.   

2.    In addition, Justice Tay Yong Kwang (郑永光) and Justice Steven Chong Horng Siong (莊泓翔) will be stepping down as Justices of the Court of Appeal upon the completion of their current terms, with their last days of service on 2 September 2026 and 22 September 2026 respectively.

Extension of Appointment of Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts

Justice Teh Hwee Hwee

3.    Justice Teh Hwee Hwee was appointed Judge of the High Court and, concurrently, Presiding Judge of the FJC, on 1 October 2023, after having served as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court from August 2022. Her appointment followed a distinguished career in the Singapore Judicial Service and Singapore Legal Service, culminating in her appointment as Registrar of the Supreme Court before her elevation to the High Court Bench. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in driving a number of major reforms, including championing the use of mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution in the resolution of legal disputes, playing a key role in the setting up of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) and leading the team responsible for the development and implementation of the SICC Rules 2021, and overseeing the establishment of the Appellate Division of the High Court.

4.    Justice Teh’s term as Presiding Judge of the FJC has been marked by the implementation of significant legislative reforms and changes across various fronts, spanning divorce by mutual agreement, protection against family violence, and the enforcement of maintenance and child access orders. These were brought into effect alongside the new Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, three other sets of Family Justice Rules, and their accompanying Practice Directions. Collectively, these serve to further enhance procedural efficiency, and strengthen the management and resolution of family proceedings, as well as the protection of the safety and needs of family members. She also led the FJC’s seamless relocation to its new premises at the Octagon in 2024, bringing all of the FJC’s registries and hearing spaces under one roof to better serve families in need. During this period of wide-ranging advancement, even as the FJC’s caseload continued to grow, it consistently met its performance benchmarks. 

5.    Through this period, Justice Teh drove the further development of the FJC’s approach to Therapeutic Justice (TJ) – the approach by which judges, lawyers, court professionals, and social support agencies work in concert to help families move beyond conflict, with the long-term welfare of children at its centre – into two substantive frameworks, and steered both to implementation. The first, the FJC TJ Model, translates TJ principles into a concrete, practical guide for how cases are to be conducted at each stage of proceedings, anchored by dedicated Practice Directions that set clear expectations for litigants and counsel alike. The second, the Youth Court TJ Model, articulates existing practices in the Youth Court that embody TJ values and introduces additional initiatives to further integrate TJ within Youth Court processes, with a focus on rehabilitation, reform, and active family and community support. She also deepened the FJC’s engagement with its partners and stakeholders, through the FJC’s dedicated dialogue sessions with members of the Family Bar and consultations with social service agencies on TJ, and advanced access to justice for self-represented litigants through digital resources.

6.    Mindful that the strength of any institution rests on its people, Justice Teh established a Wellness Committee shortly after she took office as Presiding Judge, in recognition of the emotionally demanding nature of family justice work, ensuring that the wellbeing of every officer was given the attention and care it deserved. Justice Teh also introduced a structured mentorship programme for judges with fewer than 10 years of judicial experience and supported the professional growth of court administrators through continual learning, upskilling, and opportunities for further study.

7.    Her contributions extend well beyond Singapore’s shores. Justice Teh has strengthened judicial cooperation on cross-border family matters, including through the first Memorandum of Understanding between the FJC and the Hong Kong Judiciary on the administration of family justice in 2024. Through the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) Working Group on Cross-Border Disputes Involving Children, the FJC has contributed to practical measures — among them a procedure for the administrative verification of foreign court orders — to streamline the resolution of international disputes affecting children.

8.    Justice Teh holds a number of appointments. She chairs the TJ Consultative Committee and co-chairs the CACJ Working Group on Cross-Border Disputes Involving Children. She also previously served as Chair of the Singapore Academy of Law’s subcommittee on the development of a specialist accreditation scheme for family lawyers, a scheme which has since been launched. She serves as a Network Judge in the International Hague Network of Judges for the Singapore Judiciary, and is a Member of the Senate of the Singapore Academy of Law, a Member of the Board of the Singapore Mediation Centre, a Member of the Board of Governors of the Singapore Judicial College, a Member of the Family Justice Rules Committee, and a Member of the Professional Conduct Council.

Retirement of Justices of the Court of Appeal

Justice Tay Yong Kwang

9.    Justice Tay started his judicial career with the Supreme Court in 1981, first as an Assistant Registrar and then as Deputy Registrar. He served in the Official Assignee and Public Trustee’s Office from 1989 to 1990, before serving as a District Judge at the Subordinate Courts (now known as the State Courts) for six years from 1991. He was then appointed Judicial Commissioner and subsequently a High Court Judge in January 2003 and was elevated as Judge of Appeal (now known as Justice of the Court of Appeal) on 1 August 2016.

10.  He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 1981 and his Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1986. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1984.

11.  His main areas of specialisation are in criminal law, public and administrative law. Besides his judicial duties, Justice Tay serves as chairman of an Advisory Board under the Internal Security Act, the Sentencing Advisory Panel and the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences Appointments Committee. He chaired the Rules of Court Working Party from 2002 to 2024. Previously, he co-chaired the Civil Justice Commission. He was also a member of the Presidential Elections Committee.

Justice Steven Chong Horng Siong

12.  Justice Chong was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court in October 2009 and High Court Judge in June 2010. He left the Bench in June 2012 to assume the position of the 7th Attorney-General (AG) for a period of two years, before being reappointed as High Court Judge on 25 June 2014. He was elevated to Judge of Appeal (now known as Justice of the Court of Appeal) on 1 April 2017.

13.  He received his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1982 and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in 1983. He began his legal career as an associate at Drew & Napier and rose to Joint Managing Partner in 1997. He subsequently moved to Rajah & Tann as Senior Partner in 1998 and became Managing Partner in 2003. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998. 

14.  His main areas of specialisation are in finance, securities, banking, complex commercial cases, arbitration, company, insolvency, trusts, shipping and insurance. Besides his judicial duties, Justice Chong chairs the Admiralty Court Users’ Committee, the Specialist Accreditation Scheme for Shipping Law and the Working Group of the Professional Conduct Council. He is the Vice-President of the Singapore Academy of Law and serves as a member of the Rules Committee. Since December 2020, he has been the appointed Expert Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of the People's Republic of China, which supports the China International Commercial Court. 

15.  During his tenure as AG, he established the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) Media Relations Unit, launched the Public Prosecution Outreach Programme, initiated the embedment of prosecutors in the enforcement agencies, empowered the AG to represent Statutory Boards in civil actions and led AGC in concluding key international treaties. He has also contributed to legal writing, authoring a chapter on ‘Advocacy in Interlocutory Applications’ in the Singapore Academy of Law’s Modern Advocacy: Perspectives from Singapore and co-authored the Singapore chapter of Aircraft Finance – Registry, Security and Enforcement with Sinclair Roche & Temperly. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Sweet & Maxwell’s Law Relating to Specific Contracts in Singapore (2nd Edition).

16.  In appreciation of Justice Tay’s and Justice Chong’s contributions, The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said, “On behalf of the Singapore Judiciary, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Justice Tay and Justice Chong for their decades of outstanding service and their immense contributions to the administration of justice in Singapore.” 

17.  “Justice Tay has had a long and distinguished judicial career spanning more than four decades, marked by the highest standards of judicial excellence and integrity. He is a Judge of exceptional character, whose approach has always been calm, measured and conscientious. His judgments have made a lasting impact on Singapore’s jurisprudence, and his tireless leadership of key committees beyond the Bench has been a testament to his commitment to the administration of justice. He is deeply respected by all who have had the privilege of working with him, and will be greatly missed on the Bench.”

18.  “I am equally grateful to Justice Chong, who brought to the Bench a breadth of experience that few can match. Known for his incisive, rigorous and analytical legal mind, Justice Chong has made significant contributions across a wide range of legal disciplines. His appointment to the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China reflects the international recognition of his judicial acumen. He is much admired for his humility, warmth and patience, and is held in great esteem by all who have worked alongside him. I thank them both for their sterling contributions to the legal profession and am confident that their legacy of service will continue to inspire judges and lawyers for years to come. I wish them the very best in their future endeavours and a well-deserved and happy retirement.”

19.  Justice Tay said, “It has been my privilege to serve in the Singapore Judiciary for over four decades under four Chief Justices. I am especially grateful to Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon for giving me the great honour of sitting in the Court of Appeal with him over the last 10 years.”

20.  Justice Chong said, “It has been an honour to have played a part in contributing to Singapore’s justice system and jurisprudence and witnessing the Courts’ unwavering duty in ensuring justice is served. I am also thankful for the friendships and working relationships forged along the way and I could not have asked for better guidance and support from those I have worked with. I step down with a full heart and the fondest of memories.”