New Presiding Judge at State Courts from Jan 1

Justice Christopher Tan Pheng Wee has been appointed Presiding Judge of the State Courts by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and will take over from Justice Vincent Hoong Seng Lei on Jan 1, 2026.

- Ian Cheng Correspondent

Justice Tan will head the State Courts and have overall responsibility for its management and leadership, said the Singapore Courts in a statement on Oct 1.

Justice Hoong's appointment as Presiding Judge of the State Courts, which he has held since April 1, 2020, and as Judge of the High Court will end on Dec 31.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said: "I am deeply grateful to Justice Hoong who has led the State Courts with great distinction. He successfully led the State Courts through the pandemic, and ensured the operational stability of the Courts, thus preventing the buildup of a substantial backlog, and then led the effort to rapidly clear what had accumulated."

He added that Justice Hoong has also been an "enthusiastic champion of technological innovation", having done "an excellent job in working to ensure accessible justice for our citizens".