Australian judge
Louise Taylor is a judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory , appointed on 26 July 2023 and due to be sworn in during August 2023. Before this appointment, she has been a Magistrate of the ACT since September 2018. She is the first Aboriginal person to be appointed as a judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory , and the first Indigenous woman to become a Supreme Court judge in Australia.
Early life and education
Taylor grew up in inner-city Sydney . A Kamilaroi woman, her family was from the New England area of New South Wales .[ 1] [ 2]
She moved to Canberra during high school,[ 3] where she also attended the Australian National University , graduating with a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Bachelor of Laws.[ 2] [ 3]
Career
Taylor was admitted to practice as a solicitor and barrister in 2001.[ 2] She first worked as a prosecutor with the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions,[ 4] and also worked at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions .[ 5] She then worked as a defence lawyer .[ 4]
Between 2012[ 6] and 2014,[ 7] Taylor worked on the inquiry into the conviction of David Eastman , leading to the finding that he had been wrongly convicted of the murder Colin Winchester , assistant commission in the Australian Federal Police , for which he was imprisoned for nearly 20 years before being acquitted.[ 8]
In 2014, Taylor was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Legal Aid ACT.[ 4] [ 9] [ 10]
She was appointed a magistrate on 10 September 2018, making her the first Aboriginal person to be appointed as a judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory .[ 11] [ 12]
On 26 July 2023, Taylor was appointed as the 6th Supreme Court of the ACT judge, in doing so becoming the first Indigenous woman to become a Supreme Court judge in Australia.[ a] [ 8] She is due to be sworn in within weeks of her appointment.[ 13]
Other activities and roles
Taylor served as Chair of the Women's Legal Centre ACT[ 2] [ 9] [ 14] for 10 years.[ 8] She has also served as Chair of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women and the ACT Domestic Violence Prevention Council.[ 2] [ 1]
Taylor has served as a member of the Law Council of Australia 's Indigenous Legal Issues Committee and as an Associate of the Indigenous Law Centre at the University of New South Wales .[ 5] [ 14]
Recognition
Taylor received the ACT International Women's Day Award in 2009.[ 2] [ 9] [ 1]
Personal life
Taylor has a husband and four children.[ 4]
References
^ a b c d Moran, Alexis (26 July 2023). "Kamilaroi woman Louise Taylor will become the first Indigenous female Supreme Court judge" . NITV . Retrieved 26 July 2023 .
^ a b c d e f "Louise Taylor" . Indigenous Law Centre: UNSW Law . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ a b "Louise Taylor LLB '01, BA '01" . ANU . 17 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ a b c d Foden, Blake (17 September 2018). " 'You can't be what you can't see': ACT's first Aboriginal magistrate" . The Canberra Times . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ a b Inman, Michael (10 August 2018). "ACT appoints its first Aboriginal judicial officer" . The Canberra Times . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ "Inquiry into the Conviction of David Harold Eastman for the Murder of Colin Stanley Winchester: Report of the Board of Inquiry" (PDF) . 2014.
^ "Eastman inquiry recommends David Eastman's conviction be quashed, finds miscarriage of justice" . ABC News (Australia) . 30 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2023 .
^ a b c d Byrne, Elizabeth (26 July 2023). "Louise Taylor becomes Australia's first female Indigenous Supreme Court judge" . ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 26 July 2023 .
^ a b c Bushnell, Ian. "Louise Taylor becomes ACT's newest magistrate and first Aboriginal judicial officer" . The RiotACT . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ "Historic day as Louise Taylor appointed ACT's first Aboriginal magistrate" . Women's Agenda . 18 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ Ramsay, Gordon (8 October 2018). "Eighth Magistrate appointed" . Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ "Historic Judicial Appointment" . ABC Radio . 3 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019 .
^ Hislop, Madeline (26 July 2023). "Louise Taylor becomes first Aboriginal woman appointed to Supreme Court" . Women's Agenda . Retrieved 26 July 2023 .
^ a b "Louise Taylor" . The Guardian . Retrieved 10 March 2019 .