Note on correspondence with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Correspondence to the Chief Justice

• Please note that correspondence addressed to the Chief Justice will be opened and read by the Chief Justice when marked ‘private and confidential’ or with similar wording.  Correspondence not marked ‘private and confidential’ is generally opened by an official in the Office of the Chief Justice and brought to the attention of the Chief Justice.  In either case, the Chief Justice may direct an appropriate official to reply to the correspondence on his behalf.
• Please be advised that, because each judge is, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of his or her judicial functions, the Chief Justice does not deal with complaints relating to the conduct of, or decision reached, in any court case.  As the constitution requires that justice be administered in public, the Chief Justice does not enter into correspondence with persons in relation to court proceedings and deals only with cases which have been brought before the Supreme Court in accordance with the procedure set out in the law and the Rules of Court.
• Outside of the formal process under the Judicial Council Act 2019, the Chief Justice has no function of dealing with a complaint about a member of the judiciary and there is no complaints procedure available through the Office of the Chief Justice or the Supreme Court Office.