Supreme Court of Queensland
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Federal Law Courts |
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Queensland Law Courts
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The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior court for the Australian State of Queensland and sits around the middle of the Australian court hierarchy. It has jurisdiction within the state in:
- civil matters for claims over $250,000;
- serious criminal offences including murder, manslaughter and serious drug offences; and
- matters arising under the Corporations Act 2001 and cross-vesting legislation.
The court has judges permanently appointed to sit in Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns and regularly sits in other regional districts.
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[edit] Composition
In 1991 the Queensland Supreme Court was restructured into two divisions, the Trial Division and the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal comprises the President of the Court of Appeal and a number of Judges of Appeal. A single judge will hear proceedings within the Trial Division, and an appeal from this decision to the Court of Appeals will be normally be heard by three judges.
The Court is headed by the Chief Justice (currently Justice Paul de Jersey) who sits in both the trial and appeal divisions. The Court of Appeal is headed by the President (currently Justice Margaret McMurdo). There are 5 Judges of Appeal who sit only in the Court of Appeal. All trial division Judges also sit in the Court of Appeal although only for a short time (usually a 2 week block) each year.
[edit] Current Judges
Mostly current, as of May 2005 or later (appointment date in brackets):
[edit] Chief Justice
- Paul de Jersey (17 February 1998)
[edit] Court of Appeal
- President Margaret McMurdo (30 July 1998)
- Glen Williams (14 December 2000)
- John Jerrard (3 June 2002)
- Patrick Keane (21 February 2005)
- Catherine Holmes (26 May 2006)
[edit] Trial Division
- Senior Judge Administrator Martin Moynihan (16 December 1991)
- Kenneth Mackenzie (10 April 1989)
- John Byrne (25 July 1989)
- Margaret White (2 April 1992)
- Keiran Cullinane (16 November 1992)
- George Fryberg (23 September 1994)
- John Helman (16 December 1994)
- John Muir (3 April 1997)
- Stanley Jones (2 October 1997)
- Richard Chesterman (12 March 1998)
- Margaret Wilson (20 August 1998)
- Roslyn Atkinson (3 September 1998)
- Peter Dutney (16 March 2000)
- Debra Mullins (16 March 2000)
- Anthe Philippides (14 December 2000)
- Philip McMurdo (3 March 2003)
- James Douglas (1 December 2003)
- Ann Lyons (7 July 2006)
[edit] Noted Judges
- Peter Connolly
- Harry Gibbs, who later became the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- Samuel Griffith, the first Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- Bruce McPherson
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- About the Courts. Queensland Courts. Retrieved on May 28, 2007.
- Queensland Judges Past & Present. Retrieved on May 28, 2007.
Turner, Clive 2004, Australian Commercial Law, 25th edn, Lawbook Co., Sydney.
