Judicial officers
Chief Justice
Appeal Court President
Chief Magistrate
Justice of Appeal
Puisne judges
High Court Masters
Institutions
Supreme Court
Court of Appeal
High Court
Magistrates Courts
Judicial Service Commission
The Chief Justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is required by the Constitution to consult the Attorney-General (Section 106-1). Under the previous 1997 Constitution, the Prime Minister was required to consult with the Leader of the Opposition. The appointment is permanent, until the Chief Justice reaches the age of 75 years (Section 110-1).
Like other judges, the Chief Justice need not be a Fijian citizen. When Sir Timoci Tuivaga retired in 2002, there were calls from the Citizens Constitutional Forum (a pro-democracy, human rights organization) for a foreigner to be appointed, to restore the independence of the judiciary that had been seen to be politically compromised by the 2000 coup. The government, however, appointed Fijian Daniel Fatiaki. In 2007, the military-backed interim government appointed Australian citizen Anthony Gates as Acting Chief Justice; he became permanent Chief Justice on 5 December 2008.