The peak body for Australian judges has condemned an inquiry into a Supreme Court Justice reportedly charged with assault, saying that it will have sweeping powers that interfere with the judiciary’s independence and violate “basic notions of fairness”.
The Council for the Law Society of NSW can seek disciplinary findings against a solicitor who was previously banned over social media posts encouraging people to flout COVID-19 mandates and representing that a judge condoned rape and murder.
In a rare public statement, the NSW Supreme Court has sought to correct what it says are inaccuracies in comments by the state industrial relations minister contrasting it unfavourably with a proposed new court dedicated to workplace disputes.
A retiring Federal Court judge who served on the bench for almost two decades has railed against court fees “that no ordinary person can afford” and overly complex legislation, including the Corporations Act, which he called a “blight on our community”.
The state of Queensland has urged the High Court to step in after a Federal Circuit and Family Court judge was held personally liable for a man’s false imprisonment.
Federal parliament has passed legislation extending judicial immunity to judges on the Federal Circuit and Family Court, after a judge on the court was held personally liable for the false imprisonment of a Queensland man.
Though the origins of this growing breeziness with the court are unknown, the increasing informality of correspondence with her chambers has so irked a judge she has taken to task the lawyers responsible for one galling example.
New High Court Chief Justice Stephen Gageler was lauded by a group of legal luminaries at a swearing in ceremony, where he was described as the “unbackable favourite” for the country’s highest legal post and “the judge’s judge”.
The Chief Justice of South Australia has corrected JK Rowling’s “completely unfounded” fears about a new practice note relating to the use of preferred gender pronouns in the state’s courts, after the Harry Potter author took to Twitter to criticise it.
Bruce Lehrmann has been revealed to be the ‘high profile’ man accused of raping a woman in Toowoomba two years ago.