Christine Wheeler

The Hon. Justice Christine Ann Wheeler is a judge in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, having been appointed in 1996.^[1]

Wheeler graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1980.^[2] She served as an Assistant Crown Solicitor from 1984 to 1988, heading the Policy and Law Reform Unit. From 1988 to 1994 she held the positions of Senior Assistant Crown Solicitor and Senior Assistant Crown Counsel.^[3] In 1994 Wheeler was a part-time Judicial Registrar of the Industrial Relations Court of Australia.

She took silk in 1994, becoming the first woman in Western Australian to be appointed as a Queen's Counsel. She sat as a Commissioner in the District and Supreme Courts of Western Australia in 1995 and 1996 and was appointed to the bench in October 1996, becoming the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

In 2003 Justice Wheeler was one of the three judges of the Court of Criminal Appeal of the Supreme Court of Western Australia who took just ten days to reject the appeal of Andrew Mallard, who was wrongly convicted of murder.^[4] In 2005 the High Court of Australia set aside this decision.^[5]

In 2004 Justice Wheeler was made a judge in the Supreme Court's Appellate Court.^[1]

Outside law, Wheeler was Pro-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia from 2001 to 2005.

Justice Wheeler has been tipped as a possible future contender to the High Court of Australia.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Hon. Justice Christine Ann Wheeler". Supreme Court of W.A.. http://www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/content/procedure/judges/wheeler.aspx. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 
2. ^ "Christine Wheeler (1980)". University of Western Australia Faculty of Law. http://www.law.uwa.edu.au/alumni/1980s#wheeler. Retrieved 2009-03-09. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Wallace, Anne (editor) (Nov 2003). "Christine Wheeler". AIJA News 16 (3). http://www.aija.org.au/AIJA%20News/2003%20Novnews.pdf. 
4. ^ Taylor, Robert (12 October 2006). "Mallard case rocks WA justice". The West Australian. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=126&ContentID=9473. Retrieved 2009-04-01. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Mallard v. the Queen". Australasian Legal Information Institute 2005 (HCA 68). 15 Nov 2005. http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/HCA/2005/68.html?query=mallard. 
6. ^ Pelly, Michael (14 April 2005). "Judge calls for transparency in High Court selection". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/judge-calls-for-transparency-in-high-court-selection/2005/04/13/1113251684943.html. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 

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Name	Wheeler, Christine
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