ACT magistrate and Kamilaroi woman Louise Taylor is set to become the first female Supreme Court judge in Australia’s history, having been named to the ACT Supreme Court as a resident judge.
The magistrate, Louise Taylor, has been appointed as the sixth resident judge of the ACT Supreme Court, with ABC reporting that a swearing-in is expected within weeks.
The territory’s newest Supreme Court judge brings, the ACT Bar Association detailed, “a huge range of relevant experience to the position”, having previously worked as a prosecutor with both the ACT and Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, as deputy chief executive officer of the ACT Legal Aid Commission, as chair of the ACT Women’s Legal Centre for 10 years, and most recently, as a magistrate at the ACT Magistrates Court since 2018.
The appointment follows that of Warramunga man Lincoln Crowley QC to the Supreme Court of Queensland in May 2022 and that of Yamatji man Michael Lundberg (a son of a member of the stolen generations) as Western Australia’s first Aboriginal judge for its state Supreme Court, in September.
Speaking about the appointment, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said: “Magistrate Taylor brings to the Supreme Court a wealth of knowledge and expertise, having represented the most vulnerable members of our community in complex matters.”
“Having served on the ACT Magistrates Court since 2018, Magistrate Taylor has spent the past five years exhibiting her proficiency in both civil and criminal law matters, displaying a commitment to fairness, impartiality, and open-mindedness.
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