[CALS Book Launch] The Second Charter of Justice: A Documentary History by Professor Kevin YL Tan

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[CALS Book Launch] The Second Charter of Justice: A Documentary History by Professor Kevin YL Tan

[CALS Book Launch] The Second Charter of Justice: A Documentary History by Professor Kevin YL Tan

September 2, 2026 | Faculty, Impact, In the News

The Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS) at National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law (NUS Law) is pleased to launch Professor Kevin Tan’s book, The Second Charter of Justice: A Documentary History on 2 September 2026.

The book traces the origins and evolution of Singapore’s modern legal system through one of its key foundational documents. Issued in 1826, the Second Charter of Justice established the first common law court in Singapore and applied the common law across the Straits Settlements. Featuring a clause-by-clause annotation of the Charter and a collection of rare historical documents, this book traces the Charter’s development, implementation and enduring influence, providing valuable insights into the development of the laws and institutions that shape Singapore’s legal landscape.

The book is now available for a limited period at $98.00 (including 9% GST).

About the Author

Kevin YL Tan specialises in Constitutional and Administrative Law, the Singapore Legal System, Singapore Legal History, International Law and International Human Rights. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore and holds an LLM and JSD from the Yale Law School. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Kevin has published widely in his areas of specialisation and has written and edited over 60 books on law, history and politics. Among his publications are: Constitutional and Administrative Law in Singapore (2021); Constitutional Principles and Institutions in Malaysia: Text, Cases and Materials (2023), and Constitutional Rights in Malaysia: Text Cases & Materials (2023) [both with Jaclyn L Neo]; The Lamp of the Law: 60 Years of Legal Education at NUS Law (2017); Fiat Justitia: A History of the Law Society of Singapore (2017); and The Constitution of Singapore: A Contextual Analysis (2015).

He has served on the editorial board of several leading legal journals, including as Chief Editor of the Singapore Journal of International and Comparative Law (1998–2000); Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Yearbook of International Law (2010–2018), and Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law (since 2020). Kevin also serves as series editor of the Hart series on Constitutionalism in Asia (with Li-ann Thio and Jaclyn L Neo).

The book was launched in conjunction with the NUS Bicentennial Lecture on the Rule of Law lecture, titled, ‘Evolving Conceptions of the Rule of Law: The Singapore Experience’ delivered by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.