- Two new appointments made to the District Court of Western Australia
- Appointees increase the number of women judges serving on the bench
- Laura Christian SC and Magistrate Wendy Hughes commence on 22 May, 2023
Attorney General John Quigley has appointed State Prosecutor Laura Christian SC and Magistrate Wendy Hughes as Judges of the District Court.
Ms Christian was admitted to practice in Western Australia in 1999 and to the High Court of Australia in 2011. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2019.
She is a Senior Consultant State Prosecutor, having joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2006.
Since that time, Ms Christian has been the State Prosecutor in many complex and challenging criminal cases in the District and Supreme Courts.
Prior to being a State Prosecutor, Ms Christian worked for the State Solicitor’s Office from 1998-2006.
Magistrate Hughes was admitted to practice in 2007 and worked at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from 2006 to 2009 appearing regularly in all courts.
Ms Hughes received the Hodge Award for Young Criminal Lawyer of the Year in 2009.
She was Managing Solicitor of the Criminal Law Unit and Duty Lawyer at the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia appearing in all jurisdictions on a variety of matters.
Ms Hughes was appointed as a Magistrate in 2019 presiding in the Children’s Court where she will continue to serve as a District Court Judge for half the allocated time of the position.
According to Belinda Wong, the WA President of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association, Ms Hughes is the first judge of Asian descent to be appointed to a superior court in WA.
The two new appointments to the District Court were made under the State Government’s Justice Pipeline.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
“I congratulate Ms Christian and Ms Hughes on their appointment to the District Court of Western Australia.
“Ms Christian has made a significant contribution to the legal profession providing training and mentoring, including the professional development program at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“She is highly regarded by the legal profession and is an accomplished prosecutor having managed many complex and challenging criminal cases.
“Ms Hughes has served with distinction since her appointment as a magistrate presiding in the Children’s Court.
“I would like to especially acknowledge that Ms Hughes is the first judge of Asian descent to be appointed to a superior court in Western Australia.
“She has significant experience in a broad range of jurisdictions and is an award-winning criminal lawyer and skilled advocate and arbitrator.
“Both Ms Christian and Ms Hughes will be strong assets at the District Court.”
