A FITTING FAREWELL TO JUSTICE ANDREW PHANG
He will retire as Justice of the Court of Appeal come his 65th birthday on 15 December 2022.
BY ASHUTOSH RAVIKRISHNAN
As Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon put it, it's not often that Justice Andrew Phang is speechless. But he certainly was on Monday, as he got wind of a book of essays written in his honour.
Pursuing Justice and Justice Alone – The Heart and Humanity of Andrew Phang’s Jurisprudence was launched at a special reception to celebrate his nearly 18 years on the Supreme Court Bench. Almost all of this was spent as a Justice of the Court of Appeal, a stint which cemented his reputation as a legal legend.
His elevation to the apex court capped off an illustrious career filled with many firsts: for instance, he was the first Singapore legal scholar to publish in top international law journals and was the first academic to be appointed Senior Counsel. But for many, Justice Phang's legacy will be marked by—in CJ Menon's words—his "prodigious output" of more than 260 academic publications and around 400 judgments to his name.
CJ Menon presenting Justice Phang with a copy of Pursuing Justice and Justice Alone – The Heart and Humanity of Andrew Phang’s Jurisprudence
In a fitting tribute to this record, Judicial Commissioner Goh Yihan recently edited Pursuing Justice and Justice Alone – The Heart and Humanity of Andrew Phang’s Jurisprudence, a compendium of 18 essays about Justice Phang's outsized contributions to local jurisprudence. Commissioned by CJ Menon, the Academy Publishing title was presented to Justice Phang following his Valedictory Reference. He had been kept in the dark about its existence until the very end and was visibly moved by the effort taken to record and reflect on his contributions to the law.
In a statement, Justice Phang later reflected, "I am honoured and humbled by the generosity of CJ Menon to mark my tenure of 18 years of full-time service as a judge. Much of my work would not have been possible if not for the tremendous support of my wife, my family and colleagues and especially my late parents who have inspired me all my life. The faith and trust placed on me to serve society then as a law professor and more recently as a judge, is a constant reminder to myself that the law is a powerful tool for the good of society and we in Singapore are blessed to see this."
Pursuing Justice and Justice Alone – The Heart and Humanity of Andrew Phang’s Jurisprudence is available for purchase here. All photos courtesy of Supreme Court of Singapore.
