Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judges who have served on the Federal Court of Australia as of May 2019[update],[1][2] are appointed in accordance with section 72 of the Constitution, which has, since the Court's inception in 1976, been for a term expiring at age 70.[3]
In addition to their judicial service, six judges of the Federal Court have also been elected to the Parliament of Australia: Nigel Bowen, Bob Ellicott, Merv Everett, Tony Whitlam, John Reeves and Duncan Kerr. All were elected prior to their appointment to the bench.
Additionally, two judges of the Federal Court have served in state Parliaments: Bernard Riley, formerly of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and Howard Olney, formerly of the Western Australian Legislative Council.
Position | Name | Appointment commenced |
Appointment ended |
Term | Comments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chief Justice | Sir Nigel Bowen AC, KBE, QC | 20 December 1976 | 31 December 1990 | 14 years, 11 days | Chief Judge in Equity of the Supreme Court (NSW) | [4] |
Michael Black AC, KC | 1 January 1991 | 21 March 2010 | 19 years, 79 days | Barrister (Queen's Counsel for Victoria and Tasmania) | [5] | |
Patrick Keane AC, KC | 22 March 2010 | 28 February 2013 | 2 years, 343 days | Court of Appeal Judge in the Supreme Court (Qld) Appointed to the High Court |
[2][6][7] | |
James Allsop AC KC | 1 March 2013 | 6 April 2023 | 10 years, 36 days | Previously President of the Court of Appeal (NSW) previously served as Federal Court judge |
[2][8] | |
Debra Mortimer | 7 April 2023 | 1 year, 187 days | Judge of the Federal Court (2013–) | [1][9] | ||
Judge | Sir Richard Blackburn OBE | 1 February 1977 | 31 March 1985 | 8 years, 58 days | [2] | |
(Sir) Gerard Brennan AC, KBE, QC | 12 February 1981 | 4 years, 11 days | Appointed to the High Court | |||
Xavier Connor AO, QC | 17 March 1982 | 5 years, 44 days | ||||
Phillip Evatt DSC | 28 February 1987 | 10 years, 27 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | |||
Sir William Forster AC, KBE, QC | 31 January 1989 | 11 years, 365 days | ||||
Robert Franki | 5 August 1986 | 9 years, 185 days | ||||
Russell Fox AC, QC | 31 March 1989 | 12 years, 58 days | Chief Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | |||
John Keely QC | 29 February 1996 | 19 years, 28 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | |||
James Muirhead AC, KStJ, QC | 4 August 1986 | 9 years, 184 days | ||||
Sir John Nimmo CBE, OStJ, QC | 30 June 1980 | 3 years, 150 days | ||||
Ray Northrop QC | 31 August 1998 | 21 years, 211 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | |||
Bernard Riley | 4 August 1978 | 1 year, 184 days | ||||
Sir Reginald Smithers | 30 September 1986 | 9 years, 241 days | ||||
Robert St John | 31 March 1985 | 8 years, 58 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | |||
Charles Sweeney CBE | 29 June 1995 | 18 years, 148 days | ||||
John Sweeney | 7 May 1981 | 4 years, 95 days | ||||
Richard Ward QC | 24 November 1977 | 296 days | ||||
Sir Edward Woodward AC, OBE, QC | 31 July 1990 | 13 years, 180 days | ||||
(Sir) William Deane AC, KBE, KC | 1 April 1977 | 26 July 1982 | 5 years, 116 days | Appointed to the High Court | ||
John Toohey AC, QC | 4 April 1977 | 31 December 1986 | 9 years, 271 days | Appointed to the High Court | ||
Douglas McGregor AC, QC | 7 November 1977 | 14 November 1985 | 8 years, 7 days | |||
Francis Fisher AC, QC | 6 March 1978 | 31 July 1989 | 11 years, 147 days | |||
John Gallop AM, RFD, QC | 11 March 1978 | 30 July 2000 | 22 years, 141 days | |||
Daryl Davies QC | 17 May 1978 | 31 August 1998 | 20 years, 106 days | |||
John Lockhart AO | 30 October 1978 | 11 June 1999 | 20 years, 224 days | (1935–2006)[10][11][12] | ||
Ian Sheppard AO | 9 December 1979 | 23 May 1997 | 17 years, 165 days | |||
John Kelly QC | 11 March 1980 | 1 July 1990 | 10 years, 112 days | |||
Trevor Morling QC | 11 February 1981 | 1 February 1993 | 11 years, 356 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | ||
Bob Ellicott KC | 2 March 1981 | 24 February 1983 | 1 year, 359 days | |||
Gerald Fitzgerald AC, QC | 25 November 1981 | 30 June 1984 | 2 years, 218 days | |||
Kenneth Jenkinson | 1 November 1982 | 5 June 1997 | 14 years, 216 days | |||
Alan Neaves AC, KC | 11 March 1983 | 8 January 1995 | 11 years, 303 days | |||
Michael Kirby AC, CMG | 30 March 1983 | 23 September 1984 | 1 year, 177 days | Appointed to NSW Court of Appeal then to High Court | ||
Bryan Beaumont AO | 30 May 1983 | 11 February 2005 | 21 years, 257 days | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (NI) | ||
Murray Wilcox AO, QC | 11 May 1984 | 2 October 2006 | 22 years, 144 days | Chief Justice of Industrial Relations Court Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Peter Gray AM | 17 May 1984 | 17 May 2013 | 29 years, 0 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | ||
Jeffrey Spender KC | 17 May 1984 | 19 July 2010 | 26 years, 63 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Merv Everett | 27 June 1984 | 4 October 1987 | 3 years, 99 days | |||
Bill Pincus QC | 25 March 1985 | 16 December 1991 | 6 years, 266 days | |||
James Burchett | 3 June 1985 | 10 October 2000 | 15 years, 129 days | |||
Jeffrey Miles AO | 18 June 1985 | 30 September 2002 | 17 years, 104 days | |||
David Jackson AM, KC | 15 November 1985 | 26 May 1987 | 1 year, 192 days | "Australia's pre-eminent constitutional law barrister", according to lawyer Louise Clegg in the AFR (2023)[13] | ||
Donnell Ryan KC | 29 September 1986 | 2 June 2011 | 24 years, 246 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
William Gummow AC, KC | 24 November 1986 | 20 April 1995 | 8 years, 147 days | Appointed to the High Court | ||
Robert French AC | 25 November 1986 | 1 September 2008 | 21 years, 281 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) Appointed to Chief Justice of the High Court | ||
Marcus Einfeld | 18 December 1986 | 16 April 2001 | 14 years, 119 days | |||
Trevor Hartigan | 13 August 1987 | 24 April 1990 | 2 years, 254 days | |||
Michael Foster QC | 2 November 1987 | 26 November 1998 | 11 years, 24 days | |||
Alastair Nicholson AO, RFD | 1 February 1988 | 31 May 2004 | 16 years, 120 days | |||
Malcolm Lee AO, KC | 15 February 1988 | 1 May 2006 | 18 years, 75 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | ||
Howard Olney AM, KC | 21 May 1988 | 30 April 2003 | 14 years, 344 days | |||
John von Doussa AO, KC | 1 December 1988 | 15 August 2003 | 14 years, 257 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | ||
Graham Hill | 1 February 1989 | 24 August 2005 | 16 years, 204 days | |||
Deirdre O'Connor | 1 July 1990 | 5 March 2002 | 11 years, 247 days | |||
John Phillips AO, QC | 14 August 1990 | 17 December 1991 | 1 year, 125 days | |||
Maurice O'Loughlin | 1 August 1989 | 28 January 2003 | 13 years, 180 days | |||
Terrence Higgins AO, KC | 1 July 1990 | 12 September 2013 | 23 years, 73 days | |||
Peter Heerey AM, QC | 17 December 1990 | 16 February 2009 | 18 years, 61 days | |||
Doug Drummond QC | 2 December 1991 | 12 April 2003 | 11 years, 131 days | |||
Richard Cooper | 30 March 1992 | 14 March 2005 | 12 years, 349 days | |||
Margaret Beazley AC, KC | 1 January 1993 | 28 April 1996 | 3 years, 118 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Appointed to Court of Appeal (NSW) | ||
Tony Whitlam KC | 1 January 1993 | 1 May 2005 | 12 years, 120 days | |||
Christopher Carr | 13 December 1993 | 1 August 2004 | 10 years, 232 days | |||
Michael Moore | 28 March 1994 | 1 August 2011 | 17 years, 126 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Catherine Branson KC | 16 May 1994 | 13 October 2008 | 14 years, 150 days | |||
Jane Mathews AO | 4 July 1994 | 6 April 2001 | 6 years, 276 days | |||
Kevin Lindgren AM, KC | 26 July 1994 | 12 February 2010 | 15 years, 201 days | |||
Brian Tamberlin KC | 29 August 1994 | 30 March 2009 | 14 years, 213 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Ronald Sackville AO, KC | 19 September 1994 | 25 August 2008 | 13 years, 341 days | |||
Susan Kiefel AC, KC | 17 October 1994 | 3 September 2007 | 12 years, 321 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) Appointed to the High Court | ||
Robert Nicholson AO | 1 January 1995 | 7 August 2007 | 12 years, 218 days | |||
Paul Finn | 3 July 1995 | 4 July 2012 | 17 years, 1 day | |||
Ross Sundberg AM, KC | 10 July 1995 | 9 August 2010 | 15 years, 30 days | |||
Shane Marshall AM | 17 July 1995 | 21 November 2015 | 20 years, 127 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court | ||
John Lehane | 3 October 1995 | 10 September 2001 | 5 years, 342 days | |||
Rodney Madgwick KC | 3 October 1995 | 21 April 2008 | 12 years, 201 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Anthony North KC | 3 October 1995 | 11 September 2018 | 22 years, 343 days | Judge of Industrial Relations Court Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) |
[2][14] | |
Ron Merkel KC | 5 February 1996 | 15 May 2006 | 10 years, 99 days | [2] | ||
John Mansfield AM, KC | 2 September 1996 | 24 August 2016 | 19 years, 357 days | |||
Arthur Emmett AO, KC | 3 February 1997 | 6 March 2013 | 16 years, 31 days | |||
Alan Goldberg AO, QC | 3 February 1997 | 4 July 2010 | 13 years, 151 days | |||
Raymond Finkelstein KC | 21 July 1997 | 1 July 2011 | 13 years, 345 days | |||
Geoffrey Giudice AO | 17 September 1997 | 28 February 2012 | 14 years, 164 days | President of AIRC & then Fair Work Australia | ||
Mark Weinberg AO, KC | 15 July 1998 | 19 July 2008 | 10 years, 4 days | Judge of the Court of Appeal (Vic) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (NI) Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
John Dowsett AM, KC | 14 September 1998 | 26 April 2018 | 19 years, 224 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court (Qld). |
[15][16] | |
Leslie Katz SC | 30 September 1998 | 21 March 2002 | 3 years, 172 days | [2] | ||
Peter Hely | 2 October 1998 | 1 October 2005 | 6 years, 364 days | |||
Susan Kenny AM | 16 October 1998 | 29 November 2023[2] | 25 years, 361 days | Presidential member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Previously a judge of the Court of Appeal (Vic) |
[1] | |
Roger Gyles AO, KC | 11 June 1999 | 22 August 2008 | 9 years, 72 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | [2] | |
Richard Conti QC | 15 August 2000 | 15 August 2007 | 7 years, 0 days | |||
Margaret Stone AO | 9 October 2000 | 22 March 2012 | 11 years, 165 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
James Allsop AC, KC | 7 May 2001 | 2 June 2008 | 7 years, 26 days | As Justice. Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) Appointed President of the Court of Appeal (NSW) returned to court as Chief Justice |
[8] | |
Garry Downes AM, KC | 2 April 2002 | 15 May 2012 | 10 years, 43 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | [2] | |
Peter Jacobson KC | 17 June 2002 | 25 January 2015 | 12 years, 222 days | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (NI) | ||
Bradley Selway QC | 18 November 2002 | 10 April 2005 | 2 years, 143 days | |||
Annabelle Bennett AC, SC | 5 May 2003 | 23 March 2016 | 12 years, 323 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Bruce Lander KC | 14 July 2003 | 31 August 2013 | 10 years, 48 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | ||
Susan Crennan AC, KC | 3 February 2004 | 1 November 2005 | 1 year, 271 days | Appointed to the High Court | ||
Antony Siopis SC | 14 April 2005 | 5 May 2018 | 13 years, 21 days | Presidential member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal | [17][18] | |
Richard Edmonds SC | 5 May 2005 | 10 February 2016 | 10 years, 281 days | [2] | ||
Peter Graham KC | 24 May 2005 | 6 September 2010 | 5 years, 105 days | [2] | ||
Andrew Greenwood | 4 August 2005 | 19 July 2022 | 16 years, 349 days | [2][19][20] | ||
Neil Young KC | 30 November 2005 | 24 January 2007 | 1 year, 55 days | [2] | ||
Steven Rares | 2 February 2006 | 15 November 2023[2] | 17 years, 286 days | Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) | [21] | |
Berna Collier | 8 February 2006 | 18 years, 246 days | Judge of the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) |
[22] | ||
Dennis Cowdroy AO | 13 March 2006 | 15 March 2014 | 8 years, 2 days | [2] | ||
Anthony Besanko | 3 April 2006 | 7 May 2024[2] | 18 years, 34 days | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (NI) Additional Judge of the Supreme Court (ACT) Previously a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia |
[23][24][25][26] | |
Christopher Jessup KC | 23 June 2006 | 15 April 2017 | 18 years, 110 days | [2] | ||
Richard Tracey AM, RFD QC | 24 July 2006 | 16 August 2018 | 12 years, 23 days | [27] | ||
John Middleton AM, KC | 31 July 2006 | 25 December 2022 | 16 years, 147 days | [2] | ||
Robert Buchanan KC | 8 September 2006 | 10 September 2016 | 10 years, 2 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | [2] | |
John Gilmour QC | 11 December 2006 | 23 March 2018 | 11 years, 102 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | [2] | |
Michelle Gordon AC, SC | 20 April 2007 | 8 June 2015 | 8 years, 49 days | Appointed to the High Court | [2] | |
John Logan RFD | 27 September 2007 | 17 years, 14 days | [1] | |||
Geoffrey Flick | 15 October 2007 | 18 October 2021 | 14 years, 3 days | [2] | ||
Neil McKerracher | 15 October 2007 | 5 December 2021 | 14 years, 51 days | [2] | ||
John Reeves | 19 November 2007 | 1 January 2022 | 14 years, 43 days | [2][28] | ||
Nye Perram | 8 August 2008 | 16 years, 64 days | [1] | |||
Jayne Jagot | 3 September 2008 | 16 October 2022 | 14 years, 43 days | Appointed to the High Court | [2] | |
Lindsay Foster | 4 September 2008 | 30 September 2020 | 12 years, 26 days | [2] | ||
Michael Barker | 9 February 2009 | 11 February 2019 | 10 years, 2 days | [2] | ||
John Nicholas | 16 February 2009 | 14 years, 330 days | [1] | |||
David Yates | 30 November 2009 | 14 years, 316 days | [1] | |||
Mordecai Bromberg | 7 December 2009 | 14 years, 309 days | President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (2023-present)[29] | [1] | ||
Julie Dodds-Streeton KC | 1 February 2010 | 1 April 2014 | 4 years, 59 days | [2] | ||
Anna Katzmann | 1 February 2010 | 14 years, 253 days | [30] | |||
Alan Robertson | 11 April 2011 | 8 May 2020 | 9 years, 27 days | [2] | ||
Bernard Murphy | 13 June 2011 | 13 years, 120 days | [1] | |||
Iain Ross AO | 1 March 2012 | 18 November 2022 | 10 years, 262 days | President of Fair Work Commission (2012-2022) | [2][31] | |
John Griffiths | 23 April 2012 | 1 April 2022 | 9 years, 343 days | [2] | ||
Duncan Kerr | 10 May 2012 | 25 February 2022 | 9 years, 291 days | President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2012-2017) Previously member of the House of Representatives and Attorney-General |
[2][32][33] | |
Kathleen Farrell | 5 December 2012 | 1 August 2023 | 10 years, 239 days | [2] | ||
Tony Pagone KC | 21 June 2013 | 31 March 2018 | 4 years, 283 days | [2] | ||
Jennifer Davies | 4 July 2013 | 1 April 2022 | 8 years, 271 days | [2] | ||
Debra Mortimer | 12 July 2013 | 11 years, 91 days | Appointed Chief Justice (2023–) | [1] | ||
Darryl Rangiah | 13 August 2013 | 11 years, 59 days | [1] | |||
Richard Conway White | 31 August 2013 | 5 January 2022 | 8 years, 127 days | [2] | ||
Michael Wigney | 9 September 2013 | 11 years, 32 days | Judge of the Supreme Court (NI) | [1] | ||
Melissa Perry | 23 September 2013 | 11 years, 18 days | [1] | |||
Jacqueline Gleeson | 15 April 2014 | 28 February 2021 | 6 years, 319 days | Appointed to the High Court | [2] | |
Jonathan Beach | 30 June 2014 | 10 years, 103 days | [1] | |||
James Edelman | 20 April 2015 | 29 January 2017 | 1 year, 284 days | Appointed to the High Court | [2][34] | |
Brigitte Markovic | 24 August 2015 | 9 years, 48 days | [1] | |||
Mark Moshinsky | 3 November 2015 | 8 years, 343 days | Acting President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (2023–)[35] | [1] | ||
Robert Bromwich | 29 February 2016 | 8 years, 225 days | [1] | |||
Natalie Charlesworth | 1 March 2016 | 8 years, 224 days | [1] | |||
Stephen Burley | 6 May 2016 | 8 years, 158 days | [1] | |||
David O'Callaghan | 1 February 2017 | 7 years, 253 days | [1] | |||
Michael Lee | 27 March 2017 | 7 years, 198 days | [1] | |||
Roger Derrington | 29 March 2017 | 7 years, 196 days | [1] | |||
David Thomas | 27 June 2017 | 31 January 2024 | 6 years, 218 days | President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2017-2022) Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court (Qld) |
[2] | |
Sarah Derrington AM | 10 January 2018 | 6 years, 275 days | President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (2018-2023)[35] | [1] | ||
Simon Steward | 1 February 2018 | 30 November 2020 | 2 years, 303 days | Appointed to the High Court | [2] | |
Katrina Banks-Smith | 12 February 2018 | 6 years, 242 days | Previously a Judge of Supreme Court (WA) | [1] | ||
Craig Colvin | 13 February 2018 | 6 years, 241 days | [1] | |||
Thomas Thawley | 14 February 2018 | 6 years, 240 days | [1] | |||
Michael Wheelahan | 3 October 2018 | 6 years, 8 days | [1] | |||
Paul Anastassiou | 1 February 2019 | 29 April 2022 | 3 years, 87 days | [2] | ||
Angus Stewart | 25 February 2019 | 5 years, 229 days | [1] | |||
Michael O'Bryan | 26 February 2019 | 5 years, 228 days | [1] | |||
Darren Jackson | 20 March 2019 | 5 years, 205 days | [1] | |||
John Snaden | 29 April 2019 | 5 years, 165 days | [1] | |||
Stewart Anderson | 6 May 2019 | 5 years, 158 days | [1] | |||
Wendy Abraham | 7 May 2019 | 5 years, 157 days | [1] | |||
John Halley | 19 March 2021 | 3 years, 206 days | [1] | |||
Elizabeth Cheeseman | 12 April 2021 | 3 years, 182 days | [1] | |||
Helen Rofe | 12 July 2021 | 3 years, 91 days | [1] | |||
Kylie Downes | 2 August 2021 | 3 years, 70 days | [1] | |||
Scott Goodman | 11 November 2021 | 2 years, 335 days | [1] | |||
Patrick O'Sullivan | 20 January 2022 | 2 years, 265 days | Previously a Judge of the District Court of South Australia | [1] | ||
Shaun McElwaine | 24 January 2022 | 2 years, 261 days | [1] | |||
Michael Feutrill | 8 March 2022 | 2 years, 217 days | [1] | |||
Fiona Meagher | 31 March 2022 | 2 years, 194 days | President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2022) | [1] | ||
Timothy McEvoy | 26 April 2022 | 2 years, 168 days | Previously a Judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court (Division 1) | [1] | ||
Lisa Hespe | 27 April 2022 | 2 years, 167 days | [1] | |||
Elizabeth Raper | 2 May 2022 | 2 years, 162 days | [1] | |||
Geoffrey Kennett | 19 December 2022 | 1 year, 297 days | Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory | [1] | ||
Catherine Button | 16 January 2023 | 1 year, 269 days | Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria | [1] | ||
Ian Jackman | 6 February 2023 | 1 year, 248 days | [1] | |||
Adam Hatcher | 19 February 2023 | 1 year, 235 days | President of the Fair Work Commission (2023–) | [1] | ||
Emilios Kyrou AO | 8 June 2023 | 1 year, 125 days | Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2023–) |
[1] | ||
Christopher Horan | 5 September 2023 | 1 year, 36 days | [1] | |||
Yaseen Shariff | 7 September 2023 | 1 year, 34 days | [1] | |||
Penelope Neskovcin | 8 February 2024 | 246 days | [1] | |||
Craig Dowling | 9 February 2024 | 245 days | [1] | |||
Jane Needham | 5 July 2024 | 98 days | [1] | |||
Stephen McDonald | 8 July 2024 | 95 days | [1] | |||
Federal Court Judges holding concurrent appointments in:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.