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Justice Jayne Jagot appointed to High Court
For the first time ever, the High Court of Australia will have a majority-female bench, with Justice Jayne Jagot becoming the newest appointee to the nation’s foremost bench.
Jerome Doraisamy
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Earlier this morning (29 September), Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC announced, Governor-General David Hurley accepted the advice of the Albanese government to appoint Jagot J to the High Court.
Jagot J, a former partner at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons), practised as a barrister before becoming a judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, deputy president of the Copyright Tribunal of Australia, additional judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT, before becoming a judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
Her honour will commence in the role on 17 October, following the retirement of Justice Patrick Keane.
Jagot J is the 56th Justice of the High Court and the seventh woman appointed to the court.
Her honour’s appointment marks the first time, since Federation, that a majority of justices on the High Court will be women.
In a statement, A-G Dreyfus said that Jagot J is “regarded as an outstanding lawyer and an eminent judge”.
“The government congratulates Justice Jagot on her well-deserved appointment. It is a role that she will fill with distinction,” he said.
“The government consulted extensively in the lead-up to this decision, including with all state and territory attorneys-general, the shadow attorney-general, the heads of the federal courts and state and territory supreme courts, state and territory bar associations and law societies, National Legal Aid, Australian Women Lawyers, the National Association of Community Legal Centres and deans of law schools.
“Throughout this consultation, Justice Jagot’s legal acumen and sterling reputation on the bench were noted.
“We also take this opportunity to again thank Justice Keane for his nine years of distinguished service on the High Court and wish him well in his retirement.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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