James Jacob Spigelman (born 1 January 1946) is a former Australian judge who served as

Chief Justice of New South Wales The Chief Justice of New South Wales is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Cour ...

from 1998 to 2011. He was also

Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales The Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales is a government position in the State of New South Wales, Australia, acting as a deputy to the Governor of New South Wales. The office was first created in October 1786, before the arrival of the First ...

from 1998 to 2012. He served on the

Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA or CFA) is the final appellate court of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, upon the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, replacing the Judicial Committee of t ...

as a non-permanent judge from other common law jurisdictions from April 2013 to his early resignation in September 2020. Spigelman also served as chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 2012 to 2017.

Early years and education

Spigelman was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 1 January 1946. He arrived in Australia with his family in 1949 and attended Maroubra Public School and later Sydney Boys High School. He then went on to study

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

at the University of Sydney, where he attained First-Class Honours in Government and Second-Class Honours (Division 1) in Economics. Subsequently, he studied law, graduating in 1971 with First-Class Honours and the

University Medal A University Medal is one of several types of award conferred by universities upon outstanding students or members of staff. The usage and status of university medals differ between countries and between universities. As award on graduation Many ...

. Spigelman participated in and helped organise the 1965

Freedom Ride Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions '' Morgan v. Virginia' ...

, a project undertaken by students to draw attention to problems faced by Indigenous communities in NSW. In 1969 he was President of the Students' Representative Council. From 1969-1971, he was the Student Fellow of the University Senate.

Career

Early legal career

Spigelman was admitted to practise as a solicitor in 1972. From 1972 to 1975, he served as Senior Advisor and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. In 1975, he was appointed the Secretary of the

Department of the Media The Department of the Media was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and December 1975. History The Department was one of several new Departments established by the Whitlam Government, a wide restruct ...

. In 1976 Spigelman was admitted to the NSW Bar. He did not commence practice until three years later, when he first served for several years as a member of the

Australian Law Reform Commission The Australian Law Reform Commission (often abbreviated to ALRC) is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia. The reviews, also called inquiries or references, are referred to the ALRC by ...

and also spent time overseas. Spigelman's primary areas of practice at the bar included constitutional law, administrative law, and appellate work. In 1986, Spigelman was appointed

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 ...

; and, in 1997, he served as Solicitor-General of New South Wales.

Judicial career

The Premier

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...

appointed Spigelman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and Lieutenant-Governor of NSW, effective 25 May 1998. Spigelman was regarded as the favourite to succeed

Murray Gleeson Anthony Murray Gleeson (born 30 August 1938) is an Australian former judge who served as the 11th Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1998 to 2008. Gleeson was born in Wingham, New South Wales, and studied law at the University of Syd ...

as Chief Justice of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. It ...

when he stepped down in late 2008. However, this appointment went instead to

Robert French Robert Shenton French (born 19 March 1947) is an Australian lawyer and judge who served as the twelfth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 2008 to 2017. He has been the chancellor of the University of Western Australia since 2017. Fren ...

. On 18 March 2011, Spigelman announced his decision to resign as Chief Justice, effective 31 May 2011. Reviewing Spigelman's 13-year term of office, '' Sydney Morning Herald'' columnist, David Marr commented that "... the Chief Justice of NSW .... blazed an incomparable trail.... every stage of Jim Spigelman's remarkable career has been like that: briefly surprising and then absolutely convincing". Marr claims that Spigelman's achievements include the renewal of the ranks of the Supreme Court, running a polite and friendly Court, and modernising the Court's business practices and rules. According to

Bret Walker Bret William Walker (born 1954) is an Australian barrister. Family Walker is the son of an Anglican minister. His second wife is Sarah Pritchard. Education Walker was educated at Concord West Public School and The King's School, Parramatt ...

SC, Spigelman was renowned for "... showing his decided preference for efficient, better-value-for-money justice." He retired on 31 May 2011 and was succeeded by

Tom Bathurst Thomas Frederick Bathurst (born 17 March 1948), is an English Australian jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1 June 2011 to 5 March 2022. He has served as Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales since ...

QC. Spigelman has also been a justice of the

Supreme Court of Fiji The Supreme Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by the now-defunct Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is declared to be ''"the final appellate court of the St ...

. He was also appointed to the

as non-permanent judge from other common law jurisdictions in April 2013 and reappointed to a term that was not due to expire until 2022; however, after the Hong Kong chief executive denied the practice of the

separation of powers in Hong Kong The concept of separation of powers has been considered and disputed in Hong Kong and its various forms of government. Prior to the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997, the government of British Hong Kong did not have a Western-style separation of powers ...

in September 2020, he became the first foreign judge to resign from the court, citing concerns over the national security legislation recently imposed by the Chinese government on the territory.Australian James Spigelman resigns as judge of Hong Kong appeals court over new national security law
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 18 September 2020

Chairman of the ABC

On 8 March 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Spigelman would become chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), starting a 5-year term on 1 April 2012. His term finished in March 2017 and he was replaced by

Justin Milne Justin Trevor Milne, , (born 19 November 1952) is an Australian business executive and company director known for his roles as Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, chief of broadband services at Telstra, and CEO at OzEmail, as wel ...

in April 2017.

Personal life

Spigelman's parents, Gustawa and Majloch, are

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally acce ...

who feature in the graphic novel '' Maus'', by Spigelman's cousin

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Raw ...

. They were 2 of 15 survivors among 72 Spigelman relatives. Spigelman's surname was originally spelt Szpigelman until his parents altered it to Spigelman after moving to Australia after the Holocaust ended. Spigelman and his two brothers, Mark Spigelman and Allan Spigelman, have often been recognised for their achievements following the Holocaust. Spigelman is married to author and clinical psychologist Alice Spigelman AM. She has a BA and MA in Psychology. Her directorships have included The Benevolent Society, UNHCR, Bundanon Trust, NIDA, Australian Institute of Music and the Rural Leadership Program. She is currently the Chair of

Sculpture by the Sea The Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney and Perth is Australia's largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition. This exhibition was initiated in 1997, at Bondi Beach and it featured sculptures by both Australian and overseas artists. In 200 ...

having been a board member since 2010.

Community leadership

Spigelman has a strong interest in the arts. His community involvement includes: *Chairman of the

Film Finance Corporation Australia The Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) was the government agency responsible for funding commercial productions of Australian film, documentary, and television from 1988 to 2008. Unlike other publicly funded organisations responsible for f ...

Ltd (1990–1992) *Chair of the National Library of Australia Council (2010–present) *Deputy Chairman of the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

(1983–1988) *President of the

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Although often des ...

(1995–1998) *Member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia (1995–1998) *Member of the Board of the

Brett Whiteley Brett Whiteley AO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes. He held many exhibition ...

Foundation (1995–1998) *Councillor of the

Australian Film Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority. History Establishe ...

(1975–1978)

Honours

*Justice Spigelman became a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AC) in 2000, for services to law and to the community through leadership in bringing about change in attitudes to the administration of justice for a more fair and equitable society, and to the support of the visual arts. *In 2001, Justice Spigelman was one of over 15,000 Australians to be awarded a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or gov ...

. *He has received honorary doctorates from two universities in Sydney: University of Sydney, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), 2004; and Macquarie University, Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), 2012.

References

External links

The Hon James Spigelman AC QC, ABC Chairman Official website

The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, AC, Supreme Court of New South Wales website

The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, AC, Speeches, Supreme Court of New South Wales website

The Hon Justice James Jacob Spigelman AC, Honorary Awards, University of Sydney

The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman AC, Author profile, UPQ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spigelman, Jim Living people 1946 births Chairpersons of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Chief Justices of New South Wales Lieutenant-Governors of New South Wales Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian judges on the courts of Fiji Supreme Court of Fiji justices Australian judges on the courts of Hong Kong Justices of the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong) Australian King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Lawyers from Sydney Australian public servants People educated at Sydney Boys High School Sydney Law School alumni Australian Jews People from Sosnowiec Polish emigrants to Australia Companions of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal National Library of Australia Council members