Presidents of H.M. Court of Appeal & Chief Justices
Governor Sir Thomas Maitland abolished the Corte Capitanale, and concentrated all Legal Procedures in the Gran Castellania, in accordance with the reform of the legal system of Malta undertaken by him as the first act of his administration. The new system began to function on the 4th June 1814. Sir Thomas Maitland, in accordance with Royal instructions, laid down by proclamation that there will be six judges and a President of the High Court of Appeal.
The official language of the Court had always been Italian, and consequently no English lawyer could be recruited to fill the post of Chief Justice: so the choice had to fall on a Maltese.
Nowadays, the courts in Malta are divided into Superior and Inferior courts. Judges sit on the Superior Courts, which, in Malta, are made up of the Constitutional Court, the Court of Appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeal, the Criminal Court and the Civil Court. The Inferior Courts are the Court of Magistrates (Malta) and the Court of Magistrates (Gozo). The latter court has a both superior and an inferior jurisdiction.
The Chief Justice and judges are appointed by the President of Malta on the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. Their mandatory retirement age is 65.
| NAME | TITLE | YEAR |
| Sir Giuseppe Borg Olivier GCMG | President | 27 May 1814 |
| Walter Rodwell Wright | President | 1 Jan 1819 |
| Sir John Stoddart Kt Bach | President | 2 June 1826 |
| Sir Ignazio Gavino Bonavita GCMG | President | 2 Jan 1839 |
| Sir Paolo Dingli GCMG | President | 1 Jan 1854 |
| Sir Antonio Micallef GCMG | President | 1 July 1859 |
| Sir Adrian Dingli GCMG, CB | Chief Justice | 2 Nov 1880 |
| Sir Joseph Carbone GCMG, KCMG | Chief Justice | 1 Jan 1895 |
| Sir Vincent Frendo Azzopardi Kt Bach, CMG | Chief Justice | 15 Nov 1915 |
| Sir Michelangelo Refalo Kt Bach, CBE | Chief Justice | 26 Aug 1919 |
| Sir Arturo Mercieca Kt Bach | Chief Justice | 2 Jan 1924 |
| Sir George Borg Kt Bach, MBE | Chief Justice | 1 Jan 1941 |
| Sir Luigi Camilleri Kt Bach | Chief Justice | 24 Apr 1952 |
| Sir Anthony Mamo Kt Bach | Chief Justice | 7 Dec 1957 |
| John J Cremona LLD, KOM, KM | Chief Justice | 23 Aug 1973 |
| Carmelo Schembri LLD | President | 5 Mar 1981 |
| Hugh Harding LLD | President | Sept 1987 |
| Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici LLD | President | 1990 |
| Joseph Said Pullicino LLD | President | 1995 |
| Noel Arrigo LLD | President | Nov 2001 |
| Vincent Degaetano LLD | President | Oct 2002 |
| Silvio Camilleri LLD | President | Sept 2010 |
Vassallo History 