Marilyn Warren, first female Chief Justice of a Supreme Court in Australia, to step down

VICTORIA’S top judge, Marilyn Warren, has told colleagues she will step down in September after serving almost 14 years as the first female Chief Justice of a Supreme Court in Australia.

Victoria's Chief Justice Marilyn Warren.

VICTORIA’S top judge, Marilyn Warren, has told colleagues she will step down in September after serving almost 14 years as the first female Chief Justice of a Supreme Court in Australia.

Her announcement, which ends months of speculation, was made at a meeting of Supreme Court judges early last night, a senior legal source said.

Appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court in 1998, Justice Warren was promoted to Chief Justice by former Attorney-General Rob Hulls in 2003.

Last year she banned the wearing of wigs by barristers in the Supreme Court, although they remain part of the costume in the County Court.

It was a move which angered conservative elements of the bar.

Since 2006, Ms Warren has also served the state’s Lieutenant Governor.

During her time in office Ms Warren has defended the judiciary against what she has regarded as unfair attacks, most recently against charges that more needed to be done for procedures to reduce the trauma of the criminal trials for child complainants.

In 2014 she was angered after a letter she and the then chief judge of the County Court, Michael Rozenes wrote to the then Attorney-General Robert Clark attacking his proposed baseline sentencing legislation was leaked to the Herald Sun.

The letter warned the legislation was unworkable and would needlessly tie up court resources.

Across the her time as Chief Justice, Ms Warren has campaigned also tirelessly for a new Supreme Court building, a dream that appears destined to go unfulfilled.

Speculation that Ms Warren might be about to step down has been rife within legal circles for the past few years.

Her replacement will be announced later his year by Attorney-General Martin Pakula, with the current President of the Court of Appeal, Chris Maxwell, likely to be a frontrunner for the job.