This History of the High Court of Australia
The High Court was established in 1901 but first took place October 1903 in Melbourne. The high court began with a bench of three justices presiding over the matters heard up until 1906, when it was increased to five. However, in 1946 the number increased to seven justices. Currently the high court has seven judges; a single chief justice (Robert French) and six justices. During the 1900s, appeals …show more content…
It has three main functions; it is seen as the ‘guardian’ of the constitution. Through this central idea, the high court provides accurate meaning to the words hence protecting the constitution and the rule of law. This is also demonstrated in keeping the constitution up to date, responding to the changes of societal attitudes, community standards and technology. The High Court also governs the states and commonwealth parliaments to ensure the laws that they make are inside their jurisdiction and not abusing their powers. This notion was demonstrated with the high court throwing out the Australian Capital Territories same-sex marriage laws on the basis that laws governing marriage were under the federal power (Marriage Act 1961), not at state level. The high court also interprets legislation and provides rules and judgements on criminal cases it hears on