Ronald Sackville

Justice Ronald Sackville has been a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia since 1994.

Justice Sackville is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and Yale University. He was Professor of Law (1972-1985) and Dean of the Faculty of Law (1979-1981) at the University of New South Wales. He served as Commissioner for Law and Poverty on the Australian Government Commission of Inquiry into Poverty (1973-1975); Chairman of the South Australian Royal Commission into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (1979-1981); Chairman of the New South Wales Law Reform Commission (1981-1984); and Chair of the Access to Justice Advisory Committee (1993-1994). He was also an Assistant Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales) (1992); and Chair of the Judicial Conference of Australia, a body representing judicial officers throughout Australia (2004-2005).

Justice Sackville practised as a barrister in Sydney from 1985 until 1994. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991.

Justice Sackville has held many academic posts, including visiting appointments at McGill University (Montreal), Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University (New York), Cornell University (New York) and New York University.

On 27 July 2007 Justice Sackville delivered his judgment in Seven Network Limited v News Limited [2007] FCA 1062, one of the most expensive pieces of litigation in Australian history. That case involved a complaint by Australia's Channel Seven television network that it was forced to shut down its pay television sports channels business due to anti-competitive conduct by a range of other Australian media companies including News, PBL and Telstra between 1999 to 2001. Justice Sackville found that no such anti-competitive conduct existed.