Outgoing ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC has taken legal action to quash leaked findings from an inquiry led by Walter Sofronoff KC into his conduct in the prosecution of assault claims against Bruce Lehrmann.
The legal community has welcomed the appointment of Justice Stephen Gageler to be the 14th chief justice of the High Court, praising the judge for his “deep humanity” and unmatchable expertise in constitutional law.
The legal sector has welcomed NSW Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones’ elevation to the highest court in Australia, with former colleagues noting his legal acumen and generosity.
A commercial barrister with expertise in insolvency law has been appointed as an associate judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
In a historic first, ACT Magistrate Louise Taylor has become the first Indigenous woman to be appointed to an Australian supreme court.
A judge’s public criticism of a colleague for resigning her post before delivering a judgment reserved for three years was harsh, not fair. But the evident frustration that led to the rebuke reinforces the need for a judicial commission as an appropriate avenue to give vent to complaints, experts say.
A judge has resigned before delivering judgment in litigation that went to trial in 2020, and the colleague assigned the unenviable task of issuing a ruling has taken a swipe at his departing peer, noting the absence of medical or other evidence to explain her “unwillingness” to see the case through.
In a first for the Australian judiciary, the federal government announced Friday it is commencing an open hiring process for new judges, with public job advertisements seeking expressions of interest for appointments to the Federal Court of Australia and Federal Circuit and Family Court.
A Federal Court judge who recently ordered new pleadings in a copyright case against CoreLogic is the latest judge fed up with plaintiffs pleading innumerable alternatives that waste court resources, add to the length of trials and extend the wait time for judgments.
The Federal Court has come out in defence of one of its own, characterizing some media coverage of Justice Mordy Bromberg’s appointment to the Australian Law Reform Commission as “ill-informed”, in a statement strongly backed by lawyers and a leading judicial expert.