Courts

A judge of the District Court in NSW has lodged a formal complaint against the state's Director of Public Prosecutions after the DPP griped to the court's top judge about her conduct while presiding over three criminal cases.

An advocate for women at the Bar and an expert in public law have been appointed to serve as judges on the Federal Court.

A new report from the Australian National Audit Office has found weaknesses in the Federal Court’s oversight of corporate credit cards, with the court agreeing to strengthen its policies and procedures, including in relation to the use of credit cards to cover taxi fares.

The top judge of the NSW Supreme Court has issued a warning over the use of artificial intelligence by practitioners, saying the technology may “encourage or feed laziness in research and analysis”.

Offering a mixed review of the NSW budget on Tuesday, the Law Society of NSW welcomed the funding boost to legal aid and other key agencies but said the state should do more to modernize the courts.

Westpac has secured confidentiality orders blocking the release of details of an adverse action case by its former head of strategy, after arguing that publicity would hamper settlement talks and force it to defend itself in the media.

Four judges made this year's King’s Birthday Honours list for their service to the law and the judiciary. 

Justice Tim Faulkner’s “dessicated” sense of humour was on display during a swearing in ceremony on Thursday, during which the new judge thanked his colleagues on the bench for their handwritten letters of welcome, one of which he said was “completely unreadable”.

She earned the nickname 'Shock and Orr' as senior counsel assisting the banking royal commission, but the Victoria Court of Appeal's newest judge told those gathered to welcome her to the bench on Tuesday that she thought twice before accepting the daunting assignment.

The Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court has expressed concerns about a “slide in public respect” for institutions such as the court and the creeping phenomenon of “truth decay”.