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Appointing Attorneys-General to the High Court: A case for reform

2017; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 42; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/1037969x17732707

2398-9084

James Bai, Harry Hobbs,

Ombudsman and Human Rights

Throughout 2016, Attorney-General George Brandis QC repeatedly denied he intended to leave the Federal Parliament and take up a position on the High Court of Australia. In this article we explore the experiences of the two most recent politicians-cum-High Court Justices: Garfield Barwick and Lionel Murphy; and note that Australia’s current judicial appointment process would have permitted Brandis to make a similar transition. We argue that this process should be revamped to enhance transparency and accountability in the appointments process, to the benefit of our judicial system and its public perception.