New South Wales Court of Appeal
| New South Wales Court of Appeal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1 January 1966 |
| Jurisdiction | New South Wales, Australia |
| Location | Sydney |
| Coordinates | 33°52′08″S 151°12′42″E / 33.868918°S 151.211628°ECoordinates: 33°52′08″S 151°12′42″E / 33.868918°S 151.211628°E |
| Composition method | Vice-regal appointment upon Premier's nomination, following advice of the Attorney General and Cabinet |
| Authorized by |
Parliament of New South Wales via the:
|
| Decisions are appealed to | High Court of Australia |
| Decisions are heard for appeals from | |
| Judge term length | mandatory retirement by age of 72 |
| Website |
www |
| Chief Justice of New South Wales | |
| Currently | Justice Tom Bathurst AC |
| Since | 1 June 2011 |
| President of the Court of Appeal | |
| Currently | Justice Margaret Beazley AO |
| Since | 1 March 2013 |
The New South Wales Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, is the highest court for civil matters and has appellate jurisdiction in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Jurisdiction
The Court of Appeal operates pursuant to the Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW). The Court hears appeals from a variety of courts and tribunals in New South Wales, in particular the Supreme Court, the Industrial Court, the Land and Environment Court, the District Court, the Dust Diseases Tribunal, the Workers Compensation Commission, and the Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal.[1] The Court of Appeal must grant leave to appeal a judgment of an inferior court, before it hears the appeal proper.
If a petitioner is not satisfied with the decision made by the Court of Appeal, application may be made to the High Court of Australia for special leave to appeal the decision before the High Court. Because special leave is only granted by the High Court under certain conditions, the Court of Appeal is in effect a court of final appeal for many matters.
History
Although the New South Wales Court of Appeal commenced operation on 1 January 1966 with the appointment of the President, Sir Gordon Wallace, and six Judges of Appeal, Bernard Sugerman, Charles McLelland, Cyril Walsh, Kenneth Jacobs, Kenneth Asprey and John Holmes Dashwood, the Court of Appeal was established in 1965, replacing the former appellate Full Court of the New South Wales Supreme Court.[2] The advent of the Court of Appeal was controversial, as it introduced another order and unexpectedly uprooted the established order of hierarchy and seniority among judges of the Supreme Court.[2]
Composition
The Court of Appeal consists of the Chief Justice of New South Wales, the President of the Court of Appeal and nine judges of appeal. There are currently eleven judges of appeal with current commissions. However, two of them, Justice Hoeben and Justice McClellan, are not operating full-time as judges of appeal. Justice Hoeben is chief judge at common law.[3] Justice McClellan is chairing a Royal Commission.[4]
Judges who may form a panel or hear sentence appeals from the Drug Court alone are listed below:
| Name | Title | Term began | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Tom Bathurst AC | Chief Justice of New South Wales[5] | 1 June 2011 | 5 years, 198 days |
| Justice Margaret Beazley AO | President of the Court of Appeal[6] | 2 January 2013 | 3 years, 349 days |
| Justice Ruth McColl AO | 29 April 2003 | 13 years, 231 days | |
| Justice John Basten | Judges of Appeal[3] | 2 May 2005 | 11 years, 228 days |
| Justice Robert Macfarlan | 8 September 2008 | 8 years, 99 days | |
| Justice Anthony Meagher | 10 August 2011 | 5 years, 128 days | |
| Justice Julie Ward | November 2012 | ||
| Justice Peter McClellan AM | 21 February 2013 | ||
| Justice Fabian Gleeson | 29 April 2013 | 3 years, 231 days | |
| Justice Mark Leeming | 3 June 2013 | 3 years, 196 days | |
| Justice Carolyn Simpson | 11 June 2015 | 1 year, 188 days | |
| Justice Anthony Payne | 30 March 2016 | 261 days | |
| Justice Patricia Bergin | Chief Judge in Equity | 6 March 2009 | 7 years, 285 days |
| Justice Clifton Hoeben AM, RFD | Chief Judge at Common Law | ||
| Justice Ronald Sackville | Acting Judges of Appeal | ||
| Justice Arthur Emmett | 7 March 2013 | 3 years, 284 days | |
| Justice Reginald Ian Barrett | 2015 | 0–1 years |
Most judges in the Court of Appeal also sit on the Court of Criminal Appeal in varying degrees of frequency. The Chief Judge at Common Law, Justice Hoeben, and the Chief Judge in Equity, Justice Bergin, also sit on the Court of Appeal (and the Court of Criminal Appeal) from time to time.
See also
References
- ↑ "About the Supreme Court". Supreme Court of New South Wales. New South Wales Government. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- 1 2 Kirby, M (2008). "Judicial Supersession: The Controversial Establishment of the New South Wales Court of Appeal". Sydney Law Review. Camperdown: Sydney Law School (30): 177–208.
- 1 2 "Judicial contacts". Supreme Court of New South Wales. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ↑ http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/about-us/meet-our-commissioners
- ↑ Patty, Anna (13 May 2011). "Tom Bathurst appointed NSW Chief Justice". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ Alexander, Harriet (20 December 2012). "First female head to run appeal court". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2016.