The Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, also referred to as the Brisbane Supreme and District Court, is a

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

building located at 415 George Street in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Location and features

Completed in 2012 as a purpose-built building for the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to he ...

and the

District Court of Queensland The District Court of Queensland (QDC) is the second tier in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia. The Court deals with serious criminal offences such as rape, armed robbery and fraud. Juries are used to decide if defendants are guilty ...

, the building together with the adjacent

Brisbane Magistrates Court The Brisbane Magistrates Court building is located at 363 George Street, Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. The building is one of the many locations in the state that houses the Magistrates Court of Queensland. Location and features The bui ...

building created a legal precinct in Brisbane, which occupies an entire city block between George Street, Roma Street and

Turbot Street Turbot Street runs parallel to Ann Street and is on the northern side of the Brisbane central business district, Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, linking as a three-to-five lane one-way street with the Riversid ...

. Both buildings are located adjacent to the

Roma Street railway station Roma Street railway station is located in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast, Main Line railway, Main, Gold Coast railway line, Go ...

and

King George Square busway station King George Square busway station is located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia serving the Brisbane central business district. It is located beneath King George Square and marks the start of the Northern Busway. The station has twelve stops on ...

. The complex, shared between both courts, features enhanced facilities for victims of crime, witnesses, judges, lawyers and members of the public. It is one of the largest court buildings in Australia and includes 39

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

s, 1 large ceremonial court,

Queensland Court of Appeal ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, 23 criminal courts and 14 civil courts, the Supreme Court Library, accommodation for 68 judges and a cell block in basement. The foyer of the Supreme Court also hosts the

Sir Harry Gibbs Legal Heritage Centre The Sir Harry Gibbs Legal Heritage Centre is located on the ground floor of the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, Australia. It is Queensland's only dedicated legal heritage museum. The Centre is open 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Admiss ...

, a museum dedicated to Queensland’s legal history. The complex was named in the honour of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Queen of Australia Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

, to mark her

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

. It was officially opened by the

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...

on 3 August 2012 in presence of the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

Penelope Wensley Penelope Anne Wensley, (born 18 October 1946) is a former Australian public servant and diplomat who served as the 25th Governor of Queensland from 2008 to 2014. She was previously High Commissioner to India from 2001 to 2004 and Ambassador to ...

Chief Justice of Queensland The chief justice of Queensland is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Queensland. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court, as well as t ...

Paul de Jersey Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014. Education De Jersey was edu ...

, Chief Judge Patsy Wolfe,

Attorney-General of Queensland The Attorney-General of Queensland is a ministry of the Government of Queensland with responsibility for the state's legal and justice system. The current Attorney-General of Queensland is Shannon Fentiman. List of attorneys-general of Queens ...

Jarrod Bleijie Jarrod Pieter Bleijie (; born 25 January 1982) is an Australian politician in the Queensland parliament. Bleijie was elected as the member for Kawana at the 2009 state election, and is the third member since the seat's inception at the 2001 ...

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales a ...

The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, judge Lady Justice Hallett, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Geoffrey Ma Geoffrey Ma Tao-li (; born 11 January 1956) is a retired Hong Kong judge who served as the 2nd Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal— the court of last resort (or supreme court) in Hong Kong. Between 2001 and 2010, he held ...

and

Chief Justice of New Zealand The chief justice of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kaiwhakawā Tumuaki o Aotearoa) is the head of the New Zealand judiciary, and presides over the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The chief justice of New Zealand is also the chief justice of Tokelau. Befo ...

Dame Sian Elias. The court operations commenced on 27 August 2012.

Gallery

File:Themis (sculpture) outside the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, 02.jpg , The statue of

Themis In Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Themis (; grc, Θέμις, Themis, justice, law, custom) is one of the twelve Titans, Titan children of Gaia and Uranus (mythology), Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is the godde ...

, "Greek Goddess of Justice" outside Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 5.JPG , The Herschel Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 3.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 2.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 1.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex

References

External links

{{commons-cat-inline, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law
Building at the Department of Justice and Attorney-General webpage Building at the Lend Lease webpageQueensland Courts webpage
Buildings and structures in Brisbane Courthouses in Queensland Government buildings completed in 2012 2012 establishments in Australia George Street, Brisbane Roma Street, Brisbane