Constitutional law (Cth) – Judicial power of Commonwealth – Jurisdiction vested in Territory courts – Institutional integrity of Territory courts – Where s 68BA inserted into Supreme Court Act 1933 (ACT) in response to COVID-19 pandemic – Where s 68BA(3) allowed Supreme Court of Australian Capital Territory ("ACT") to make order for trial by judge alone for previously excluded indictable offences if satisfied order would ensure orderly and expeditious discharge of Court business and in interests of justice – Where s 68BA(4) required judge to provide written notice of proposed order under s 68BA(3) – Where no requirement for election or consent by accused – Where Justice of Supreme Court proposed to and did order trial by judge alone despite appellant's submissions opposing order – Where appellant tried and convicted under ss 54 and 60 of Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) – Whether s 68BA(4) substantially impaired institutional integrity of Territory courts as function conferred incompatible with position of Territory court as repository of federal jurisdiction.
Constitutional law (Cth) – Trial by jury – Where prior to self-government Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) picked up and applied in ACT as surrogate federal law – Where following self-government Commonwealth law provided Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) shall be taken to be enacted by ACT Legislative Assembly and may be amended and repealed – Where subsequent ACT law provided Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) to be treated as an Act passed by ACT Legislative Assembly – Where ss 54 and 60 of Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) were indictable offences – Whether ss 54 and 60 were laws of the Commonwealth within meaning of s 80 of Constitution – Whether "any law of the Commonwealth" within meaning of s 80 of Constitution includes laws of ACT Legislative Assembly as "subordinate legislature" – Whether miscarriage of justice as trial on indictment was not by jury contrary to s 80 of Constitution – Whether R v Bernasconi (1915) 19 CLR 629 should be re-opened or overruled.
Words and phrases – "amend or repeal", "case management", "Ch III court", "COVID-19 emergency period", "gatekeeping function", "independent body politic", "institutional integrity", "interests of justice", "judge alone trial", "Kable principle", "law of the Commonwealth", "overruling constitutional precedent", "peace, order and good government of the Territory", "picked up and applied", "plenary power", "proposed order", "prudential approach", "self-government", "statutory fiction", "subordinate legislature", "taken to be an enactment", "trial on indictment".
Constitution, Ch III, ss 80, 111, 122. ACT Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (Cth), s 12. Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cth), ss 7, 8, 22, 34.
Dr James Stellios appeared for the appellant.
Reasons for the decision can be found here.