很多人还记得，[壹号皇庭] (官方英文译名: The File of Justice) 是上世纪90年代，香港一套叫好又叫座的电视连续剧。主题音乐选用了 Dire Straits 的 “Your Latest Trick“, 甚具中产味道。曰”皇庭”, 何故？或许, 它有两重意义。第一重意义是眼睛可以看得见的。很多人都会留意到, 高悬於每个英式法庭正中央的是英国皇室徽号 (Royal Coat of Arms)。它标志着法院是彰显皇权的地方。当然，这种富有殖民地色彩的东西，在很多地方已变得不合时宜。在香港和新南威尔士州的法院，皇室徽号已被当地政府的徽号/纹章所取代 (见，新州纹章, 徽号和标志条例第5条的规定)。另一重眼睛看不到的意义，就是法官于审案时，所引用和行使的权力, 其实是来自英皇的。英皇作为”正义之泉” (“the Fountain of All Justice”)，同时是司法公义的源头，法官的老板。

(陶建文律师撰写)

[壹號皇庭]

很多人還記得，[壹號皇庭] (官方英文譯名: The File of Justice) 是上世紀90年代，香港一套叫好又叫座的電視連續劇。主題音樂選用了 Dire Straits 的 “Your Latest Trick“, 甚具中產味道。曰”皇庭”, 何故？或許, 它有兩重意義。第一重意義是肉眼看得見的。很多人都會留意到, 高懸於每個英式法庭正中央的是英國皇室徽號 (Royal Coat of Arms)。它標誌著法院是彰顯皇權的地方。當然，這種富有殖民地色彩的東西，在很多地方已變得不合時宜。在香港和新南威爾斯州的法院，皇室徽號已被當地政府的徽號/紋章所取代 (見，新州紋章, 徽號和標誌條例第5條的規定)。另一重肉眼看不見的意義，就是法官於審案時，所引用和行使的權力, 其實是來自英皇的。英皇作為”正義之泉” (“the Fountain of All Justice”)，同時是司法公義的源頭，法官的老闆。

(陶建文律師撰寫)

[The File of Justice]

Excepting the forgetful, many from Hong Kong would have remembered the TV series [The File of Justice] (The official Chinese title means “Royal Court No. 1”). The TV show was very well received in the 1990s. Aptly, Dire Straits’ “Your Latest Trick” was chosen as the title music for the program, in keeping with the City’s middle-class lifestyle as portrayed. But why “Royal Court”?  Two reasons, perhaps. The first and obvious one relates to the Royal Arms which graces every English court room. It signifies the role of the Monarch in the legal system. In some people’s eyes, however, this arrangement has fallen into antiquity. In both Hong Kong and New South Wales,  the insignia of the local authorities have replaced the royal lion and unicorn (See: section 5, State Arms, Symbols and Emblems Act 2004 (NSW)). The second and less obvious reason relates to the Monarch as the Fountain of All Justice. Judges, when making their judgments, are exercising the powers of the Monarch and his or her desire to do justice. The Monarch, in this sense, is both the source of judicial justice and the silent master of all judges.

(Posted by Clifford To, Principal)