Carolyn Simpson (judge)
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| Hon. Justice Carolyn Chalmers Simpson | |
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Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1994 |
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| Born | March 30, 1946 Forbes, New South Wales  |
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| Nationality | Australian  |
| Residence | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Alma mater | Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney Bathurst Teachers College University of Sydney |
Hon. Justice Carolyn Chalmers Simpson (born 30 March 1946) is an Australian lawyer and judge.[1] Since 1994 she has served as a judge on the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the highest civil court in the State of New South Wales, Australia.[2]
Simpson made legal history in 1999 as one of three women justices who formed the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court.[3]
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[edit] Early life
Simpson was born 30 March 1946, at Forbes in the Central West of New South Wales, to William George and Janet Bower Chalmers.[1] She received her education as a boarder at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney at Croydon,[4] and following matriculation attended Bathurst Teachers College[1] (an antecedent to Charles Sturt University), graduating in 1965.[3] After five years of teaching, a friend of Simpson's suggested she study law.[3] She subsequently enrolled at the University of Sydney.[1]
[edit] Career
Following graduation from the University of Sydney in 1971,[5] Carolyn Simpson began working as a District Court judge's associate. It was here that Simpson realised her passion for law, stating "I got hooked."[3]
Simpson was a member of the University of Sydney Law Extension Committee from 1972 to 1976, an Officer of the Department of Youth and Community Services from 1974 to 1976, President of the Society of Labor Lawyers, and President of the Council for Civil Liberties from 1976 to 1979.[1] She was admitted to the New South Wales Bar council in 1976 and appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1989. In 1994, she was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.[3]
Justice Simpson made headlines in April 1999, when she and Justices Margaret Beazley and Virginia Bell sat in the Court of Criminal Appeal in Sydney.[3] The Justices threw out an appeal from a convicted computer hacker who had, out of "sheer maliciousness", been posting offensive messages on Ausnet's homepage. According to the Women Lawyers Association of NSW, there had never been an all-female bench in England or New Zealand at the time.[5]
Following this feat, Justice Simpson expressed her view that as more women are appointed judges in the Supreme Court, there will be more benches of three. "Given the opportunity, women achieve and do as well as men" she said.[3]
[edit] Notable decisions
Justice Simpson has presided over a number of high profile cases. She was the judge responsible for sentencing Neddy Smith, a notorious gangland murderer, to life imprisonment in 1989.[5]
In 2005, Simpson presided over the much publisised case of Network Ten v. Jessica Rowe, claiming the 5pm Ten News reader had breached her "open-ended" contract by failing to give six months' notice in writing. Simpson dismissed the action and ordered Ten to pay Rowe's court costs, finding the contract was for a closed period of two years and expired at the conclusion of the case.[6]
Further, Simpson set a precedent in 2007 when she awarded around AUD$1 million to a teenager who was bullied at primary school. She concluded the school had "grossly failed" in its duty of care to Benjamin Cox, who now suffers from a severe psychiatric condition.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "SIMPSON Carolyn Chalmers, Hon. Justice". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ Judicial Officer Contact Details. Contact Us. Supreme Court of New South Wales (2007-08-22). Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g Graham, Sally (2000-05-26). Setting the Benchmark. Alumni news. Charles Sturt University. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ McFarlane, John (1988). "Ex-Students", The Golden Hope: Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney 1888-1988. Croydon, NSW: P.L.C Council, Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney, p. 243. ISBN 0-9597340-1-5.
- ^ a b c “Media Watch”, Gazette (Sydney, NSW: The University of Sydney): p.14, 1999, <http://www.usyd.edu.au/about/publication/gazette/oct99/pub/media_watch.pdf>. Retrieved on 30 September 2007.
- ^ Casella, Nicolette. "Rowe on cloud Nine", Entertainment, The Daily Telegraph, 2005-12-31. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ AAP. "Govt considers appeal on bullied boy", National, The Age, 2007-05-22. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
