Kamilaroi woman Louise Taylor has been appointed as a judge on the ACT’s Supreme Court, becoming the first Indigenous woman to sit on a Supreme Court in Australia.
Taylor will join an expanded ACT Supreme Court as its sixth judge, with the announcement of her appointment to take place on Wednesday.
Taylor’s historic elevation to the court comes after she previously made history in 2018, when she was appointed as an ACT magistrate, becoming the first Indigenous person to hold the position. Her appointment to the Supreme Court in the ACT is monumental for Indigenous representation in the Australian judiciary system.
The ACT Supreme Court is currently heavily dominated by female judges, with just one man on its bench, Justice David Mossop.
Taylor has had a long and distinguished career in the legal profession, both as a prosecutor and a Legal Aid officer. As a prosecutor, she focused primarily on criminal law, and has also spent a decade as the Chair of the ACT Women’s Legal Centre.
One of the most high-profile cases she has worked on was the inquiry into David Eastman, which resulted in his acquittal for the murder of AFP Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester.
In 2019, Taylor was awarded the Indigenous Alumna of the Year Award from the ANU, in recogniton of her contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and access to justice for women.
In an interview with the ANU College of Law in 2020, Taylor noted that her inspiration to pursue a career in law came from wanting a chance “to speak to power with a foundation of knowledge and understanding about the law, in particular as it relates to Aboriginal people”.
As for what motivates her, Taylor said: “The chance to contribute to my community ensuring that I am constantly honouring the privilege of my current role.”
“Throughout my career I’ve been highly motivated by the achievement of outcomes that improve the lives of people with whom I come into contact – whether I’ve always achieved that is another matter but that motivation has been a constant driver of my professional life. On a personal front, my family has always been a source of motivation and inspiration.”
Taylor will be sworn in to the ACT Supreme Court in the coming weeks.