AUSTRALIA
LSJ Online
July 14, 2020
By Kate Allman
Media commentary surrounding the Australian High Court appears to have surged in 2020. Controversial decisions such as the Indigenous “aliens” case and overturned Pell conviction provoked fiery responses from commentators on all sides of politics, as well as damning chatter among the Australian public. Almost everyone has two cents to throw in. But what impact does this have on the esteem of our highest court?
Most legal professionals have had a turbulent year in 2020. The seven-judge bench of the Australian High Court is no exception. In February, the court had to decide whether Aboriginal Australians could be deported as “aliens” under the Constitution. Barely two months later, it grappled with the high-profile conviction of Australia’s highest catholic, Cardinal George Pell, for historic child sex abuse. And in recent months, it faced twin challenges to the constitutional validity of closing Queensland and Western Australian borders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been hard to ignore the media firestorms that these decisions ignited.
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