The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the State Courts to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases and, in criminal matters, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences if they are convicted.
The Supreme Court Building, designed by Foster and Partners, which commenced operations on 20 June 2005 – photographed in August 2006
The former Supreme Court building, officially opened in 1939, housed the Court of Appeal and some of the courtrooms of the High Court until 2005 – photographed in August 2006
On St. Andrew's Road facing the Padang is City Hall, which was built between 1926 and 1929 and housed 12 courtrooms of the High Court from 1988 to 2005 – photographed in January 2006
The State Courts Complex at Havelock Square, which houses the District Courts and Magistrates' Courts
The High Court of Singapore is the lower division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the upper division being the Court of Appeal. The High Court consists of the chief justice and the judges of the High Court. Judicial Commissioners are often appointed to assist with the Court's caseload. There are two specialist commercial courts, the Admiralty Court and the Intellectual Property Court, and a number of judges are designated to hear arbitration-related matters. In 2015, the Singapore International Commercial Court was established as part of the Supreme Court of Singapore, and is a division of the High Court. The other divisions of the high court are the General Division, the Appellate Division, and the Family Division. The seat of the High Court is the Supreme Court Building.
The new Supreme Court Building was opened in 2005, designed by Norman Foster
Sir Peter Benson Maxwell (1817–1893) was Recorder of Penang 1856–1866, Recorder of Singapore and Malacca 1866–1867, and finally Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements 1867–1871
Up to 2005, the High Court operated together with the Court of Appeal in the Old Supreme Court Building (shown above) and City Hall on Saint Andrew's Road
A Singapore Airlines 747-412 aeroplane landing at Singapore Changi Airport. Criminal offences committed on board aircraft registered in Singapore may be tried by the High Court.