The High Court has declined to hear a case that challenges the power of judges to make common fund orders at the close of litigation, a challenge the Federal Court had labelled “hypothetical”.
Law firms are ordering staff in their Sydney offices to work from home if possible and avoid face-to-face meetings as the state’s new rules requiring masks at all indoor workplaces takes effect.
The chief judges of three of the country’s top courts say virtual hearings, including through the use of popular livestream technology, will be around long after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
A judge hearing a lawsuit against Federal Circuit Court Judge Salvatore Vasta over alleged wrongful imprisonment has heard that a finding putting the Commonwealth on the hook for future jurisdictional errors by judges would meet an “inevitable” appeal.
Sacked climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd brought his case challenging his dismissal by James Cook University to the High Court on Wednesday, with a lawyer for Ridd telling the justices that his sacking was unlawful because intellectual freedom was a “foundational’ principle that could not be subordinated to the university’s code of conduct.
The power to make common fund orders in class actions is a question before the High Court a second time, but the justices aren’t likely to quell the conflict simmering in the courts below, at least until they have a concrete order before them.
The High Court has denied a request from former senator David Leyonhjelm to challenge a ruling ordering him to pay $120,000 to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young for defaming her with “crass” and “obviously sexist” comments made in a series of interviews in 2018.
A top intellectual property barrister who has worked on cutting-edge cases that raise novel questions about the patentability of inventions has been appointed to the Federal Court.
Volkswagen has asked the High Court to throw out a a landmark $125 million penalty over its emissions cheating scandal, the highest ever handed down in Australia for consumer law violations.
A judge has refused an application by banned lawyer Serene Teffaha for a temporary stay of a decision by Victoria’s legal watchdog to strip her of her practising certificate.