Federal Court Justice Jayne Jagot has been appointed as the seventh ever female Justice of the High Court, marking the first time in Australia’s history that a majority of judges on Australia’s top court are women.
The High Court was ostensibly convened in his home state of Queensland to consider special leave applications, but something told Justice Patrick Keane that was not the full story.
Two former executives of defunct electronics retailer Dick Smith have asked the High Court to hear their challenge to a $11.8 million damages award for approving a dividend payment the company could not afford.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has dropped a High Court appeal seeking to overturn a Full Court judgment that found a tweet by refugee activist Shane Bazzi labeling him a “rape apologist” was not defamatory.
The former CEO of Blue Star Helium has asked the High Court to throw out a $40,000 penalty and four-year ban imposed on him after the company failed to disclose to shareholders the identity of the buyer behind a botched sale of Texas oil assets.
The High Court will take up Meta’s challenge to the privacy commissioner’s case over the Cambridge Analytica data breach, giving the court the chance to rule on the jurisdictional reach of Australian regulators in their pursuit of US tech giants.
The High Court has taken up the appeal of a Whitsundays resort that was ordered to pay $430,738 to an employee whose roommate in staff accommodation urinated on him after a night of drinking.
As he approaches his retirement, High Court Justice Patrick Keane was farewelled by the court’s Chief Justice this week, honoured for his “powerful intellect and industry”.
Chief Justice Susan Kiefel has decried the low number of women barristers appearing in the High Court, questioning whether there is a “price” to pay for state and federal policies focused on appointing more female judges.
The High Court has agreed to weigh in on whether government restrictions on social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic frustrated a $11.25 million contract for sale of a hotel in the Sydney suburb of Pyrmont.