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Lawyers celebrate ‘pragmatic’ new Chief Justice with ‘big heart’

The legal industry has praised the historic appointment of Debra Mortimer as the first female Chief Justice of the Federal Court, noting her modern approach to managing cases and compassionate nature. 

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Debra Mortimer appointed first female Chief Justice of the Federal Court

Justice Debra Mortimer will become the first female Chief Justice of the Federal Court, with the attorney-general praising the judge for her widely recognised legal acumen. 

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Under model for Human Rights Act, complainants would get their day in court

A federal Human Rights Act would allow complainants to take their cases to federal court if conciliation failed to resolve their claims, under a proposed model of the law unveiled Wednesday.

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Why we should all be worried about the court’s new media access rules

The Federal Court has dialled back a controversial rule change restricting public access to new cases, but the latest procedure is a laughable attempt to retreat from the attack on open justice and should make even litigants nervous.

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Magistrate’s refusal to allow note-taking in courtroom showed possible bias, judge finds

A local court magistrate showed apprehended bias by not allowing a self-represented plaintiff to take notes during cross-examination, a judge has found.

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Amid push for reforms, judges refuse to recuse themselves time and again

Requests by litigants for judges to disqualify themselves from presiding over cases were largely denied last year, in a raft of decisions containing lessons for litigants weighing up their own recusal bids in 2023.

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Judicial commission would be ‘protective, not disciplinary’, government says

The Albanese government is inviting submissions on a federal judicial commission tasked with dealing with alleged misconduct by judges, saying the commission will strive for transparency and will not adopt a disciplinary model.

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Settlement reached in associates’ sexual harassment case against judge

Multi-million dollar claims of sexual harassment by two associates of a former Victoria Supreme Court judge have been settled by the state out of court.

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Albanese government to abolish ‘irreversibly damaged’ AAT

The Albanese government has vowed to abolish and replace the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, saying it has been “fatally compromised” by the former government which allegedly appointed political allies who had no expertise.

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Go-to silk for high stakes commercial cases among three new Federal Court judges

A senior barrister at the helm of important insurance test cases has been appointed to the Federal Court bench, along with two state court judges.

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