Judicial Appointments
JUSTICE PETER MARTINO
JOHN MCKECHNIE QC
JUSTICE MICHELLE GORDON
His Honour Justice Peter Martino joined the Supreme Court bench on Monday, 20 April 2015. His Honour graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1977 and was admitted in 1978.
His Honour Justice John McKechnie retired from the Supreme Court on Friday, 24 April 2015 after sixteen years on the bench. John McKechnie QC commenced as head of the Corruption and Crime Commission on Tuesday, 28 April 2015.
Western Australia's the Honourable Justice Michelle Gordon has been appointed a Justice of the High Court. Justice Gordon will replace the Honourable Justice Kenneth Hayne AC, who will reach statutory retirement age on Friday, 5 June 2015.
His Honour had a distinguished legal career, and in 2000 was appointed to the District Court bench. Following the retirement of Her Honour Chief Judge Kennedy in 2010, Justice Martino was appointed Chief Judge of the District Court. CHIEF JUDGE KEVIN SLEIGHT On Monday, 20 April 2015, His Honour Judge Kevin Sleight was appointed Chief Judge of the District Court, His Honour was appointed to the District Court in 2005. His Honour has served in both the District and Supreme courts and has been the Regional Convenor of the National Judicial College of Australia, as well as the Chairperson of the Inter-jurisdictional Education Committee. He currently presides as the Chairperson of the Child Witness Committee of the District Court.
06 | Brief May 2015
John McKechnie QC attended Scotch College, before completing his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia in 1972. Mr McKechnie was articled at Jackson McDonald and was admitted to practice in 1974. He joined the Crown Law Department (now State Solicitors Office) in 1976. Taking silk in 1989, Mr McKechnie was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor in 1990, and the following year became the inaugural Director of Public Prosecutions, a position he held for eight years. John McKechnie QC was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1991. He had the responsibility for introducing information and communication technologies into all the courts, and was the Senior Judge of the general division. Mr McKechnie is also an adjunct professor at Murdoch University, where he teaches Forensic Advocacy.
Her Honour has had a distinguished career as lawyer, barrister and judge, specialising in taxation law, trade practices and constitutional law since graduating from the University of Western Australia and commencing legal practice in Perth in 1987. Her Honour attended St Mary's Anglican Girls' School and the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Perth, before completing jurisprudence and law degrees at the University of Western Australia. Her Honour was first employed at the firm of Robinson Cox (now Clayton Utz) in Perth, and moved to Melbourne in 1988 to work at Arthur Robinson and Hedderwicks (now Allens), becoming a barrister in 1992, and taking silk in 2003. Her Honour was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 2007. The Honourable Justice Gordon will be sworn in on Tuesday, 9 June 2015.