A British judge who resigned from Hong Kong’s top court says the rule of law is in ‘grave danger’

LONDON (AP) — A British judge who resigned from Hong Kong’s top court last week says he stepped down because the rule of law in the city is in “grave danger.” He says judges operate in an “impossible political environment created by China.” Jonathan Sumption had served as a non-permanent overseas judge of Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. In an article published in the Financial Times, he described judges being intimidated by a “darkening political mood” in the Asian financial hub. Fifteen non-permanent overseas judges served on the former British colony’s top court in 2019, but only eight remain.