List of the first women appointed to Australian judicial positions

The first court was established in 1788,[1] the first woman to be awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree graduated in 1903,[2] and the first woman barrister was admitted in 1905.[3] It was not until 1965 that the first woman was appointed to an Australian judicial position.[4] These pioneering Australians have been described as members of the FW2 club or First Woman to club.[5] The list includes positions to which no woman has been appointed as of September 2018. It does not include abolished courts to which no woman was appointed, such as the Commonwealth Industrial Court.

For a list of the first women lawyers see list of first women lawyers (Australia)

Jurisdiction first woman to be appointed Name Date Comments Notes
CommonwealthChief Justice of AustraliaSusan Kiefel31 January 2017[6]
Justice of the High CourtMary Gaudron6 February 1987[7]
Chief Justice of the Federal Court
Judge of the Federal CourtDeirdre O'Connor1 July 1990[8]
Chief Justice of the Family CourtElizabeth Evatt11 November 1976[9]
Judge of the Family CourtElizabeth Evatt11 November 1976[9]
Chief Federal Magistrate [lower-alpha 1]Diana Bryant11 May 2000[10]
Federal MagistrateNorah Hartnett
Christine Mead
Judy Ryan		28 June 2000[11]
NSWChief Justice
President of the Court of AppealMargaret Beazley1 March 2013[12]
Judge of AppealMargaret Beazley29 April 1996[12]
Judge of the Supreme CourtJane Mathews7 July 1987[13]
Chief Judge of the Land & Environment CourtMahla Pearlman6 April 1992[14]
Judge of the Land & Environment CourtMahla Pearlman6 April 1992[14]
Judge of the Industrial CourtLeonie Glynn14 April 1980[15]
Chief Judge of the District Court
Judge of the District CourtJane Mathews1980[13]
VictoriaChief JusticeMarilyn Warren25 November 2003[16]
President of the Court of Appeal
Judge of the Court of AppealSusan Kenny25 July 1997[17]
Supreme CourtRosemary Balmford6 March 1996[18]
Chief Judge of the County Court
Judge of the County CourtLynette Schiftan1985[19]
QueenslandChief JusticeCatherine Holmes11 September 2015[20]
President of the Court of AppealMargaret McMurdo30 July 1998[21]
Judge of the Supreme CourtMargaret White2 April 1992[22]
Chief Judge of the District CourtPatsy Wolfe1999[23]
Judge of the District CourtMargaret McMurdo29 January 1991[21]
South AustraliaChief Justice
Judge of the Supreme CourtRoma Mitchell23 September 1965[4]
Chief Judge of the District Court
Judge of the District CourtKemeri Murray1973[24]
Chief MagistrateElizabeth BoltonFebruary 2007[25]
TasmaniaChief Justice
Supreme CourtShan Tennent15 March 2005[26]
Western AustraliaChief Justice
President Court of AppealCarmel McLureNovember 2009[27]
Judge of the Supreme CourtChristine Wheeler30 October 1996[28]
Chief Judge of the Family CourtGail Sutherland7 January 2019[29]
Family Court Elizabeth Evatt 5 January 1976 [30]
Chief Judge of the District CourtAntoinette Kennedy1 January 2004[31]
Judge of the District CourtAntoinette Kennedy15 March 1985[32]
ACTChief JusticeHelen Murrell28 October 2013[33]
Additional judge of the Supreme CourtMargaret Beazley22 June 1994[12]
Resident judge of the Supreme CourtHilary Penfold1 February 2008[34]
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker 13 October 2011 [35]
Magistrate Karen Fryar 6 September 1993 [36]
NTChief Justice
Supreme CourtSally Thomas30 July 1992[37]
Norfolk IslandChief Justice
Supreme CourtSusan Kiefel16 December 2004

Notes
  1. Now the Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia

References
  1. David Collins (1798), An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales
  2. O'Brien, Joan M. (1981). "Evans, Ada Emily (1872 - 1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 8. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  3. Campbell, R; Barton (1983). "Greig, Grata Flos Matilda (1880–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 9. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  4. "Roma Flinders Mitchell", Australian Women Lawyers
  5. McColl, R. "Celebrating Women in the Judiciary". [2014] New South Wales Judicial Scholarship 2. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  6. "Susan Kiefel". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  7. "Mary Genevieve Gaudron". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  8. "Deirdre O'Connor". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. "Elizabeth Andreas Evatt". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  10. "Diana Bryant". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  11. "2000-01 Annual Report". Federal Magistrates Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  12. "Margaret Beazley". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  13. "Jane Mathews". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  14. "Mahla Pearlman". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  15. "Leone Carmel Glynn". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  16. Shiel, Fergus (26 November 2003). "Trailblazing lawyer named chief justice". The Age. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  17. "Susan Kenny". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  18. "Inspiring trailblazer for women in law". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  19. "Lynnette Rochelle Schiftan". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  20. "Catherine Holmes named as Queensland chief justice". ABC News. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  21. "McMurdo, Margaret". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  22. "The Honourable Justice Margaret J White AO". Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  23. "Patricia (Patsy) Wolfe". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  24. "Highly respected Judge farewelled". Family Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  25. "Ill health forces first female South Australia chief magistrate Elizabeth Bolton to resign after eight years". The Advertiser. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  26. "Shan Eve Tennent". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  27. "Carmel McLure". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  28. Offer, Kate. "The Judges of Western Australia: Part II" (PDF). (1998) 27 University of Western Australia Law Review 248.
  29. Quigley, John (14 December 2018). "Three new appointments to the Family Court announced". mediastatements.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  30. "Former judges of the Family Court". familycourt.gov.au. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  31. "Past District Court Judges". District Court of WA. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  32. "Antoinette Kennedy". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  33. Inman, Michael. "Introducing the ACT's first female Supreme Court Chief Justice". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  34. Gorrey, M (6 October 2017). "Justice Hilary Penfold to retire from ACT Supreme Court". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  35. Cummins, Jamie (1 February 2012). "Canberra Conversations: Lorraine Walker". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  36. Back, Alexandra (8 March 2019). "Karen Fryar, first woman to the bench in Canberra, retires". Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  37. "Sally Gordon Thomas". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.