AUSTRALIA – Chief Justice Robert French recently spoke on the issue of judicial elections and commented on debate in Australia about the level of power given to ‘unelected’ judges. As the title of his speech suggested (“In Praise of Unelected Judges”), the Chief Justice revealed a reasoned preference for the present Australian system for the appointment – rather than the election - of judges and considered a number of ‘problematic’ United States authorities (Minnesota v White and Capterton v Massey Coal) in coming to that conclusion. The issue, of course, remains relevant in the context of contemporary discussions about whether Australia should adopt a federal bill of rights or other similar rights protection charter.

Read the Chief Justice’s full speech at: http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/frenchcj/frenchcj01July09.pdf