Summary of Expected Vacancies in the Federal Court in 2025
According to the Judicial Appointments Commission (“JAC”)’s website, there are 2 vacancies for the post of “Judge of Federal Court”[1]:
The information on the JAC’s website is presumably accurate, at the time of its publication.
However, based on publicly available information, the number of vacancies in the Federal Court are expected to rise with the following judges who have either retired or are expected to retire in 2025:
| Judge (in order of seniority of position, followed by date of appointment) |
Initial Retirement Date (if there is no extension) |
Extended? | Extended Retirement Date (if there is an extension) |
| Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat (Chief Justice) | 1/7/25[2] | Uncertain (as at the time of writing)[3] | N/A |
| Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abang Iskandar bin Abang Hashim (President of the Court of Appeal) | 2/7/25[4] | Uncertain (as at the time of writing)[5] | N/A |
| Tan Sri Hasnah binti Dato’ Mohammed Hashim (Chief Judge of Malaya) | 14/5/25[6] | Yes, for 6 months[7] | 14/11/25 |
| Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Abdul Rahman Sebli (Chief Judge of Sabah & Sarawak) | 24/1/25[8] | Yes, for 6 months[9] | 24/7/25 |
| Tan Sri Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan | 22/8/25[10] | Uncertain (as at the time of writing)[11] | N/A |
| Dato’ Zabariah binti Mohd Yusof | 10/4/25[12] | Yes, for 6 months[13] | 10/10/25 |
| Tan Sri Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal | October 2024 | Yes, for 6 months[14] | 22/4/25[15] |
| Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil | 10/4/25[16] | Reportedly offered extension but refused the offer[17] | N/A |
| Datuk Hanipah binti Farikullah | 22/5/25[18] | Yes, for 6 months[19] | 22/11/25 |
Six Federal Court judges remain at the time of writing.[20]
Four of the six remaining Federal Court judges will likely be appointed to office bearer/holder positions of the Judiciary.
This would then result in a significant vacancy for the post of Judge of the Federal Court, with two judges remaining out of an ideal of eleven judges.
[1] Statistics on Post and Vacancies of Supreme Court Judges | Official Portal Judicial Appointments Commission, 25 June 2025, https://www.jac.gov.my/en/pelantikan/statistics. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[2] Abdul, Farah Marshita. “Uncertainty over Tengku Maimun’s tenure as CJ beyond July [WATCH].” New Straits Times, 17 March 2025, https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2025/03/1189786/uncertainty-over-tengku-maimuns-tenure-cj-beyond-july-watch. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[3] Anbalagan V, “Judges hold special meet amid uncertainty over CJ’s tenure extension.” Free Malaysia Today, 29 June 2025, https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/06/29/judges-hold-special-meet-amid-uncertainty-over-cjs-tenure-extension. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[4] YAA was born on 3/7/59 [see “YAA Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abang Iskandar bin Abang Hashim | Portal Rasmi Suruhanjaya Pelantikan Kehakiman.” Suruhanjaya Pelantikan Kehakiman, 17 January 2023, https://www.jac.gov.my/ms/hakim/yaa-tan-sri-datuk-amar-abang-iskandar-bin-abang-hashim. Accessed 30 June 2025], would turn 66 years old on 3/7/25, and would mandatorily retire on 2/7/25.
[5] “Chief Justice: No news on tenure extension.” The Star, 23 June 2025, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/06/23/chief-justice-no-news-on-tenure-extension. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[6] YAA was born on 15/5/59 [see “YAA Tan Sri Hasnah binti Dato’ Mohammed Hashim | Portal Rasmi Suruhanjaya Pelantikan Kehakiman.” Suruhanjaya Pelantikan Kehakiman, 12 November 2024, https://www.jac.gov.my/ms/hakim/yaa-tan-sri-hasnah-binti-dato-mohammed-hashim. Accessed 30 June 2025], turned 66 years old on 15/5/25, and should mandatorily retire on 14/5/25.
[7] Yatim, Hafiz. “Tenures of Chief Judge of Malaya, two Federal Court judges extended.” The Edge Malaysia, 13 March 2025, https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/747852. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[8] YAA was born on 25/1/59 [see “Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak | Portal Rasmi Pejabat Ketua Pendaftar Mahkamah Persekutuan Malaysia.” Mahkamah Persekutuan, https://www.kehakiman.gov.my/ms/hakim-besar-sabah-dan-sarawak. Accessed 30 June 2025], turned 66 years old on 25/1/25, and should mandatorily retire on 24/1/25.
[9] Anbalagan, V. “Tenure of Sabah, Sarawak’s top judge extended, says source.” Free Malaysia Today, 22 December 2024, https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/12/22/tenure-of-sabah-sarawaks-top-judge-extended-says-source. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[10] YA was born on 23/8/59 [see Hamdan, Nurbaiti. “P. Nallini is first Malaysian Indian woman on nation’s highest court.” The Star, 26 November 2018, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/26/nallini-is-first-indian-woman-on-nations-highest-court. Accessed 30 June 2025], would turn 66 years old on 23/8/25, and should mandatorily retire on 22/8/25
[11] “Chief Justice: No news on tenure extension.” The Star, 23 June 2025, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/06/23/chief-justice-no-news-on-tenure-extension. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[12] YA was born on 11/4/59 [see “Laporan Tahunan 2021 Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Kehakiman dan Perundangan.” Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Kehakiman dan Perundangan (SPKP), https://www.spkp.gov.my/images/Laporan%20Tahunan%20SPKP/pdf/Laporan-Tahunan-SPKP-2021.pdf. Accessed 30 June 2025.], turned 66 years old on 11/4/25, and should mandatorily retire on 10/4/25.
[13] Yatim, Hafiz. “Tenures of Chief Judge of Malaya, two Federal Court judges extended.” The Edge Malaysia, 13 March 2025, https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/747852. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Badan Kehakiman Malaysia | The Malaysian Judiciary, Facebook, 21 April 2025, https://www.facebook.com/Kehakiman/posts/istana-kehakiman-21-april-2025-ybhg-datuk-ketua-pendaftar-mahkamah-persekutuan-y/1043880481122429/. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[16] “Tenures of 6 top judges extended, Tengku Maimun’s position unclear, say sources.” Free Malaysia Today, 13 March 2025, https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/03/13/tenures-of-6-top-judges-extended-tengku-maimuns-position-unclear-say-sources. Accessed 30 June 2025.
See also Badan Kehakiman Malaysia | The Malaysian Judiciary, Facebook, 10 April 2025, https://www.facebook.com/Kehakiman/posts/istana-kehakiman-10-april-2025-pada-8-april-2025-telah-berlangsung-persidangan-m/1035422511968226/. Accessed 10 April 2025.
[17] Yatim, Hafiz. “Tenures of Chief Judge of Malaya, two Federal Court judges extended.” The Edge Malaysia, 13 March 2025, https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/747852. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[18] YA was born on 23/5/59 [see https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/699753], turned 66 years old on 23/5/25, and should mandatorily retire on 22/5/25
[19] Yatim, Hafiz. “Tenures of Chief Judge of Malaya, two Federal Court judges extended.” The Edge Malaysia, 13 March 2025, https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/747852. Accessed 30 June 2025.
[20] Dato Rhodzariah binti Bujang (appointed on 25/3/20), Dato’ Nordin bin Hassan (appointed on 17/1/23), Dato’ Abu Bakar bin Jais (appointed on 13/6/23), Datuk Vazeer Alam bin Mydin Meera (appointed on 18/3/24), Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin bin Mohd Salleh (appointed on 12/11/24), and Justice Dato’ Lee Swee Seng (appointed on 20/5/25)
