Former Victorian chief justice Marilyn Warren adds her support for judge Lex Lasry

Lex Lasry wins more support — this time from former Victorian chief justice Marilyn Warren.

Judge Lex Lasry in his chambers. Picture: Aaron Francis

A former chief justice of the Victorian Supreme Court has joined a chorus of legal figures throwing their support behind veteran judge Lex Lasry, who resigned last week after learning the state’s top prosecutor had lodged a complaint against him months earlier.

In a rare public statement, ­Marilyn Warren – who led the court for 14 years until her retirement in 2017 – described Justice Lasry as an exemplary and trustworthy barrister and judge.

“I worked with Justice Lasry as a judge for 10 years,” she told The Australian.

“He was a judge of absolute integrity. I also observed earlier his work as a barrister. I always had complete faith and trust in him when he appeared in cases.”

Ms Warren’s high-powered backing for Justice Lasry follows a strong show of public support from former judge and IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich KC and the Victorian Supreme Court.

Former Victorian chief justice Marilyn Warren.

Concern about the process that triggered Justice Lasry’s mid-hearing resignation last Wednesday has been sweeping judicial and legal circles.

The veteran judge told a preliminary hearing into an underworld trial that he had been left with no option but to resign after almost 20 years presiding over some of the Supreme Court’s most complex and challenging trials when he learned the state’s top prosecutor had complained about him to the judicial commission.

In a sensational resignation statement in open court, Justice Lasry interrupted a hearing to reveal he had become aware on February 5 that Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd had lodged a complaint against him.

The complaint, which is believed to have been lodged with the judicial commission 10 months earlier, claimed Justice Lasry’s conduct and decision to issue a stay of criminal charges in a case related to the Eastern Freeway crash that killed four police officers, had the “tendency to diminish public confidence in the administration of justice in Victoria”.

Among the concerns of legal figures is that Justice Lasry was unaware the complaint had been made until earlier this month. It’s believed Justice Lasry shares these concerns.

“I now discover that the DPP through solicitor Abbey Hogan has made a formal complaint about me and the way in which that matter was conducted to the judicial commission,” Justice Lasry told the court last week.

Justice Lasry said he “utterly” rejected the allegations in the DPP’s complaint, but told the court that now he had become aware of its existence, it was no longer appropriate for him to ­remain on the bench.

The Australian reported on Monday that Mr Redlich KC has said Justice Lasry had made an “outstanding contribution” and was a judge of “great distinction”

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Anne Fer­guson, also issued a strongly worded endorsement of Justice Lasry, saying he was “a highly regarded judge”.