Justice Debra Mortimer appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Court

Congratulations to The Hon. Justice Debra Mortimer who has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.

Justice Mortimer is a Monash Law alumna, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Jurisprudence in 1983.

She has served on the Federal Court since 2013. She is the fifth Chief Justice of the Federal Court since its inception in 1976. She is the first woman to assume the role.

Justice Mortimer taught at the Faculty of Law in the early 1990s. He has been an advisor on the Faculty’s External Professional Advisory Committee and the Faculty Board.

Her appointment was announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus who noted Justice Mortimer is “widely recognised for her legal acumen, intellectual capacity and judicial leadership”.

Read the Prime Minister and Attorney-General’s media release (31 March 2023).