THE full-time District Court judge to be appointed to Wagga is likely to deal mainly with criminal matters, according to personal injury lawyer, Tim Abbott.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state government announced funding for a full-time judge in its 2016-17 budget this week, with Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton saying the government continued to work closely with the District Court to reduce the criminal caseload.
The president of the South West Slopes Law Society, Maggie Orman, said everyone in the organisation was happy with the funding announcement.
“If we can clear the backlog that is before the District Court it would be fantastic,” Ms Orman said.
“We have enough work for two full-time magistrates, so we certainly have enough work for a full-time District Court judge.”
Wagga is currently served by circuit court judges from Sydney.
They deal with trials, sentencings and appeals against Local Court findings and sentences.
Sittings generally last three weeks and have become more frequent over the past two years as demand on the court system has grown.
The push for a full-time judge to meet the increasing workload gained momentum in May last year when The Daily Advertiser reported Judge Jennifer English saying from the bench that the workload was too much for visiting circuit judges.
Ms Orman said a permanent judge in Wagga would get a real understanding of the Riverina.
“They would be living in the community and have a great insight into the community issues,” she said.
Mr Abbott said he did not think the judge would deal with many civil cases.
“They seem to fall into two camps – some do crime and some do civil,” Mr Abbott said.
But he said the current system of visiting District Court Civil judges was working efficiently in Wagga.
Further details about the full-time judge – including who it will be and when they will take up the appointment – are not yet available.
