Sir Anthony Mason KBE AC, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia.

Sir Anthony Mason KBE, AC, QC (born 1925), Australian judge and naval officer, was the ninth Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, sitting on the bench of the High Court from 1972 to 1995. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1000, 132 KB) Summary Source:Hong Kong University website Copyright: Hong Kong University Fair Use: Promotional material for the awarding of honorary degrees by the University. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1000, 132 KB) Summary Source:Hong Kong University website Copyright: Hong Kong University Fair Use: Promotional material for the awarding of honorary degrees by the University. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... QC can stand for: Quezon City, a highly urbanized city in the Republic of the Philippines. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Education

In Sydney, where he grew up, Mason was a student at Sydney Grammar School. During World War II, Mason served in the Royal Australian Air Force, holding the rank of Flying Officer. After the war, he studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with Bachelor degrees in Arts and Law. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. ... Sydney Grammar School (colloquially known just as Grammar) is a non-denominational, independent school for boys located in Sydney, Australia founded in 1854. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... A Flying Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Flying Officer (Fg Off in the RAF; FLGOFF in the RAAF; FGOFF in the RNZAF; F/O in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ...

Legal career

Mason was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1951, and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1964. For five years, Mason lectured in law at the University of Sydney, his students including two future High Court Justices, Mary Gaudron and William Gummow. Mason was the Commonwealth Solicitor-General from 1964 to 1969. During this time, he contributed greatly to the development of the Commonwealth's administrative law system. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The official portrait of former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, who was made a Queens Counsel as Justice Minister in 1992. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ... Mary Genevieve Gaudron (born 5 January 1943) was the first female judge of the High Court of Australia. ... Justice William Gummow Justice William Montague Charles Gummow (1942) QC AC is a Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ... The Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the Second Law Officer to the Attorney-General. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Australian administrative law encompasses a number of statutes and cases which define the extent of the powers and responsibilities held by administrative agencies of the Australian government. ...

Judicial career

In 1969, Mason was made a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, where he sat as a member of the Court of Appeal. He held this position until 1972, when he was appointed to the bench of the High Court of Australia. After fifteen years on the bench, and following the retirement of Sir Harry Gibbs, Mason was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court in 1987. Mason retired from the Court in 1995. 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the superior court for the Australian State of New South Wales. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ... The Right Honourable Sir Harry Talbot Gibbs, GCMG, AC, KBE (February 7, 1917 - 25 June 2005) was Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1981 to 1987 after serving as a member of the High Court between 1970 and 1981. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mason had a significant influence over the High Court. Initially a conservative judge, the influence of his colleague Lionel Murphy saw many of Mason's judgements become more controversial in nature. His tenure as Chief Justice can be seen as the high-water mark of the movement away from the "strict legalism" which characterised the High Court under Sir Owen Dixon. Mason was more flexible in his attitude to precedent than many other judges, viewing it more as a policy for consistency than something which would strictly coerce and constrain his decisions. During the years of the "Mason Court", there were a variety of important cases decided, including Mabo v Queensland [No.2] and Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth. Hon Lionel Murphy Lionel Keith Murphy (30 August 1922 - 21 October 1986), Australian politician, was Attorney-General in the Government of Gough Whitlam, and a Justice of the High Court of Australia. ... Sir Owen Dixon, GCMG, KBE, PC (1886 - 1972), Australian judge and politician, was the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. ... Precedent, sometimes authority, is the legal principle or rule created by a court which guides judges in subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. ... Eddie Mabo & Ors v The State of Queensland (No. ... Australian Capital Television v Commonwealth was a significant court case decided in the High Court of Australia on September 30, 1992. ...

From 1996 to 1997, Mason was a Professor of legal science at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 1997, Mason was made a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. Mason is also a Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Law at the Australian National University. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Map of the Cambridgeshire area (1904) The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Court of Final Appeal usually refers to the last court in which one can appeal cases brought before the highest level. ... The Australian National University (ANU), is a university located in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. ...

Honours

• Honorary doctorates in law from ANU, Deakin, Griffith, Melbourne, Monash, Oxford and UNSW universities.
• Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)

The Australian National University (ANU), is a university located in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. ... Deakin University is a large Australian public university with nearly 100,000 students studying Bachelor, Masters, Doctoral and Professional programs. ... Griffith University is an Australian public university with four campuses in Brisbane and one at the Gold Coast. ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, after the University of Sydney. ... Monash University Monash University is Australias largest university with over 55,000 students. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of New South Wales is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these...

References

• Sir Gerard Brennan – A Tribute to The Hon. Sir Anthony Mason, AC KBE
• Justice Michael McHugh – The Constitutional Jurisprudence of the High Court: 1989-2004