SHAM TSZ KIT (岑子杰) V. SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE

[2023] HKCFA 28 Court of Final Appeal 5 September 2023 • FACV14/2022 • 133 min read
36 cases cited (0 SG, 36 foreign) Cited by 3 cases

Practice Areas

Basic Law Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance Matrimonial Causes Ordinance Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Ordinance

Judges (5)

Cheung Coram Fok Coram Keane Coram Lam Coram Ribeiro Coram

Counsel (8)

Department of Justice Firm Ho Tse Wai & Partners Firm Anson Wong Yu Yat Counsel Applicant Hectar Pun Counsel Applicant Johnny Ma Counsel Respondent Jonathan Ng Counsel Respondent Karon Monaghan Counsel Applicant Stewart Wong Counsel Respondent

Parties (2)

Secretary for Justice Respondent Sham Tsz Kit Applicant

Summary

Sham Tsz Kit, in a same-sex marriage contracted in New York, challenged Hong Kong's lack of any legal framework for recognising same-sex relationships. The Court of Final Appeal held that while there is no constitutional right to same-sex marriage under the Basic Law, the government has a positive obligation to provide an alternative framework for legal recognition of same-sex partnerships. The appeal was allowed in part.

Statutes Cited

Basic Law
Art 25 Art 29 Art 37 Art 39(1) Art 40
Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (Cap 383)
Matrimonial Causes Ordinance (Cap 179)
Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Ordinance (Cap 192)

Cases Cited (36)

UK (6)
[1930] AC 124 [2013] 1 WLR 3741 [2017] 1 WLR 3369 [2018] QB 519 [2020] AC 1 [2022] AC 487
HK (30)
(1999) 2 HKCFAR 4 (1999) 2 HKCFAR 442 (2001) 4 HKCFAR 211 (2001) 4 HKCFAR 474 (2002) 5 HKCFAR 381 (2002) 5 HKCFAR 480 (2003) 6 HKCFAR 236 (2005) 8 HKCFAR 229 (2008) 11 HKCFAR 170 (2012) 15 HKCFAR 409 (2012) 15 HKCFAR 743 (2013) 16 HKCFAR 112 (2014) 17 HKCFAR 138 (2018) 21 HKCFAR 324 (2019) 22 HKCFAR 127 (2019) 22 HKCFAR 59 (2020) 23 HKCFAR 15 (2020) 23 HKCFAR 518 (2021) 24 HKCFAR 349 (2023) 26 HKCFAR 25 [2007] 2 HKLRD 804 [2010] 3 HKLRD 371 [2018] 3 HKLRD 84 [2019] 5 HKLRD 259 [2020] 1 HKLRD 1188 [2020] 4 HKLRD 908 [2020] 4 HKLRD 930 [2021] 3 HKLRD 427 [2022] 4 HKLRD 368 [2022] HKCA 1690

Cited By (3)

[2024] HKCFA 30
SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE V. LI YIK HO
[2024] HKCFA 12
THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY V. INFINGER, NICK (and 2 others)
[2023] HKCFA 31
SHAM TSZ KIT (岑子杰) V. SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Hong Kong Courts portal.

Read on HKLII

Source: HKLII ([2023] HKCFA 28)