Carolyn Chalmers Simpson (born 30 March 1946) was a
judge of the
Supreme Court of New South Wales for 24 years and of its Court of Appeal for nearly three.
Justice Simpson made legal history in 1999 as one of three women judges who formed the first all-female
bench to sit in an Australian
court.
In 194-year history, she is the second woman appointed to the court.
Early life and education
Simpson was born 30 March 1946, at
Forbes in the
Central West of
New South Wales, to William George and Janet Bower Chalmers.
She received her education as a
boarder A boarder may be a person who:
*snowboards
*skateboards
* bodyboards
* surfs
*stays at a boarding house
*attends a boarding school
*takes part in a boarding attack
The Boarder may also refer to:
* ''The Boarder'' (1953 film), a 1953 Soviet dram ...
at the
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney (PLC Sydney) is an independent school, independent Presbyterian Church of Australia, Presbyterian Single-sex school, single-sex Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primary and Secondary sc ...
at
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensive ...
,
and following matriculation attended Bathurst Teachers College
(an antecedent to
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer wh ...
), graduating with a Diploma of Education in 1965.
After five years of teaching followed by a failed attempt to gain employment as a journalist, a friend suggested she study law.
She graduated from the
University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and then completed the Barristers Admission Board examinations.
[.]
Career
Simpson served as an associate to a
District Court judge. It was here that she realised her passion for law, stating: "I got hooked."
She was a member of the University of Sydney Law Extension Committee from 1972–76, an Officer of the Department of Youth and Community Services from 1974–76, President of the Society of Labor Lawyers, and President of the for
Civil Liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
from 1976 to 1979.
She was admitted to the New South Wales bar in 1976 and appointed a
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister ...
in 1989. In 1994, she was appointed a judge of the
Supreme Court of New South Wales.
Justice Simpson made headlines in April 1999, when she and Justices
Margaret Beazley
Margaret Joan Beazley, , (born 23 July 1951) is an Australian jurist who is the 39th and current governor of New South Wales, serving since 2 May 2019. She was the president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, the first woman to hold the o ...
and
Virginia Bell sat in the
Supreme Court of New South Wales#Structure and jurisdiction\Court of Criminal Appeal in
Sydney.
The judges threw out an appeal from a convicted
computer hacker
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
who had, out of "sheer maliciousness", been posting offensive messages on Ausnet's homepage. According to the Women Lawyers Association of NSW, there had never been an all-female bench in
England or
New Zealand at the time.
Subsequently, Simpson observed that, as more women were appointed judges in the Supreme Court, there would be more benches of three. "Given the opportunity, women achieve and do as well as men", she said.
Simpson sat in the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of NSW until her elevation to the Court of Appeal in June 2015. Simpson retired as a full judge on 29 March 2018, however continues to work as an Acting Justice of Appeal in the NSW Court of Appeal.
In the
2019 Queen's Birthday Honours Simpson was appointed
Officer of the Order of Australia for her "distinguished service to the law, and to the judiciary, particularly in the areas of criminal, defamation, administrative and industrial law".
Notable decisions
Justice Simpson has presided over a number of high-profile cases. She was the judge responsible for sentencing
Neddy Smith
Arthur Stanley "Neddy" Smith (27 November 1944 – 8 September 2021) was an Australian criminal who was convicted of drug trafficking, theft, rape, armed robbery, and murder.
Smith served a life sentence since 1989 and was imprisoned in Lithgo ...
, a notorious
gangland murderer, to
life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
in 1989.
In 2005, she presided over the much publicised case ''
Network Ten v
Jessica Rowe
Jessica June Rowe (born 22 June 1970) is an Australian journalist, author and television presenter. She was the co-host of ''Studio 10'' on Network Ten until March 2018, and is Member of the Order of Australia for her mental health advocacy.
Ea ...
''. Ten claimed that the 5pm ''
Ten News'' reader had breached her "open-ended" contract by failing to give six months' notice in writing. Simpson dismissed the action and ordered Ten to pay Rowe's court costs, finding that the contract was for a closed period of two years and expired at the conclusion of the case.
[ ]
She set a
precedent in 2007 when she awarded around 1 million to a teenager who was
bullied
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imbal ...
at
primary school. She concluded that the school had "grossly failed" in its
duty of care to Benjamin Cox, who now suffers from a severe
psychiatric
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial psychi ...
condition.
References
External links
Supreme Court of New South Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Carolyn
Australian King's Counsel
People educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
1946 births
Living people
Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Australian women judges
Charles Sturt University alumni
People from the Central West (New South Wales)
University of Sydney alumni
20th-century Australian judges
21st-century Australian judges
Officers of the Order of Australia
20th-century women judges
21st-century women judges
20th-century Australian women