Prof. Cora Chan 陳秀慧教授

Monograph

Deference in Human Rights Adjudication (Oxford University Press, 2024)

Reviewed in Law Quarterly Review, JOTWELL, and Public Law

Awarded a Special Mention for the 2025 International Society of Public Law Book Prize

One of two finalists for the 2024 Book of the Year Award by the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism

Edited book

Cora Chan and Fiona de Londras (eds), China’s National Security: Endangering Hong Kong’s Rule of Law? (Hart Publishing, 2020)

Journal articles

“Oratorical Leadership of Chief Justices in Post-Handover Hong Kong” (2025) 23(1) International Journal of Constitutional Law 298–319 (with Julius Yam)

“Gender, Democracy, and the Legal Academy: Afterword to the Foreword by Gráinne de Búrca, Rosalind Dixon, and Marcela Prieto Rudolphy” (2024) 22(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law 1099-1107

“Scholarship in Times of Constitutional Transformation: a View from Hong Kong” (2023) 24 Human Rights Law Review 1-15

“From legal pluralism to dual state: evolution of the relationship between the Chinese and Hong Kong legal orders” (2022) 16(1) Law & Ethics of Human Rights 99-135

“Can Hong Kong remain a liberal enclave within China? Analysis of the Hong Kong National Security Law” [2021] Public Law 271-292

“Demise of ‘One Country, Two Systems’? Reflections on the Hong Kong Rendition Saga” (2019) 49(2) Hong Kong Law Journal 447-457

“Thirty years from Tiananmen: China, Hong Kong, and the ongoing experiment to preserve liberal values in an authoritarian state” (2019) 17(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 439-452.

“Problems with Wednesbury Unreasonableness in Contract Law: Lessons from Public Law” (2019) 135(Jan) Law Quarterly Review 88-113 (with Ernest Lim)

“Rights, Proportionality and Deference: A Study of Post-Handover Judgments in Hong Kong” (2018) 48(1) Hong Kong Law Journal 51-78

“Legalizing Politics: an Evaluation of Hong Kong’s Recent Attempt at Democratization” (2017) 16(2) Election Law Journal 296-305

“A Preliminary Framework for Measuring Deference in Rights Reasoning” (2016) 14(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law 851-882

“Implementing China and Hong Kong’s Preliminary Reference System: Transposability of Article 267 TFEU Principles” [2014] Public Law 642-661

“The Burden of Proof under the Human Rights Act” [2014] Judicial Review 46-51

“Proportionality and Invariable Baseline Intensity of Review” (2013) 33(1) Legal Studies 1-21 (winner of 2012 Society of Legal Scholars Best Paper Prize)

“Deference, Expertise and Information-Gathering Powers” (2013) 33(4) Legal Studies 598-620 (first published online: 25 October 2012) (winner of 2012-2013 University of Hong Kong Research Output Prize; short-listed for the 2011 Society of Legal Scholars Best Paper Prize)

“State Immunity: Reassessing the Boundaries of Judicial Autonomy in Hong Kong” [2012] Public Law 601-610

“Deference and the Separation of Powers: An Assessment of the Court’s Constitutional and Institutional Competences” (2011) 41 Hong Kong Law Journal 7-25

“Reconceptualising the Relationship between the Mainland Chinese Legal System and the Hong Kong Legal System” (2011) 6(1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law 1-28

“Judicial Deference at Work: Some Reflections on Chan Kin Sum and Kong Yun Ming” (2010) 40 Hong Kong Law Journal 1-10

Case notes, international survey and book reviews

“Review of Anne Carter, Proportionality and Facts in Constitutional Adjudication” (2024) 54(3) Hong Kong Law Journal 709-715

“Hong Kong – public entertainment licence only required if admission is controlled. Court of Final Appeal decision, T v Commissioner of Police [2014] HKCFA 71” [2015] Public Law 161-162 (International Survey)

“Hong Kong – Post-Operative Transsexuals Have Right to Marry, Court of Final Appeal decision, W v Registrar of Marriages” [2014] Public Law 343-344 (International Survey)

“Introduction: Kong Yunming v Director of Social Welfare” (2014) Hong Kong Law Journal 1-5

Book chapters

“Pluralizing Constitutionalism” in Vicki Jackson and Madhav Khosla (eds) Redefining Comparative Constitutional Law: Essays for Mark Tushnet (OUP) ch 24

“Subnational Constitutionalism: Hong Kong”, in David S. Law (ed), Constitutionalism in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2022) pp 377-402

“The Executive”, in Johannes Chan and C.L. Lim (eds), Law of the Hong Kong Constitution, 3^rd edition (Thomson Reuters, 2021) ch 10

“Yash Ghai and the Constitutional Project of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ in Hong Kong”, in Humphrey Sipalla and J. Osogo Ambani (eds), Furthering Constitutions, Birthing Peace: Liber Amicorum Yash Pal Ghai (Strathmore University Press, 2021) pp 303-335 (with Albert Chen)

“China’s National Security in Hong Kong: A Challenge for Constitutionalism, Autonomy, and the Rule of Law”, in Cora Chan and Fiona de Londras (eds), China’s National Security: Endangering Hong Kong’s Rule of Law? (Hart Publishing, 2020) pp 1-15 (with Fiona de Londras)

“Building rule of law resilience through institutions: a proposed institutional infrastructure for national security legislation,” in Cora Chan and Fiona de Londras (eds), China’s National Security: Endangering Hong Kong’s Rule of Law? (Hart Publishing, 2020) pp 275-296 (with Fiona de Londras)

“A Principled Approach to Judicial Deference for Hong Kong”, in Guobin Zhu (ed), Deference to the Administration in Judicial Review: Comparative Perspectives (Springer, 2019) pp 203-229

“Business as Usual: Deference in Counter-Terrorism Judicial Review” in Fergal F. Davis and Fiona de Londras (eds) Critical Debates on Counter-Terrorism Judicial Review (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) pp 228-250

“Adult Guardianship Law in China: Traditional Values and Modern International Developments” in A. Kimberley Dayton (ed.) Comparative Perspectives on Adult Guardianship (Carolina Academic Press, 2014) pp 123-136 (with Rebecca Lee)