This volume of speeches by Murray Gleeson, who served as Chief Justice of New South Wales, then of Australia, for two decades, is, as James Spigelman has put it in his foreword, “a testament to judicial leadership”. While his judgments are his most enduring and primary contribution to the law, in hundreds of occasional speeches he explained the role and importance of the rule of law, and of the institutions through which it is maintained.
Although Murray Gleeson is known as a judge, he is also one of our great legal writers. The selected papers are models of elegant expression, clarity of thought, deep contemplation and scholarship. They cover several broad themes: the rule of law, advocacy, judging, legal history, the judiciary as an arm of government, the application of legal principle, and international commercial arbitration.
As James Spigelman acutely observes, Murray Gleeson’s patient and seemingly tireless effort in explaining the significance of the rule of law and legal institutions is “a critical aspect of judicial leadership. That is particularly so in an era, such as the period covered herein, when institutions are being attacked and, even, subverted”. These speeches are part of the legacy that Murray Gleeson has bequeathed to his successors in the law and to the Australian community.
From the Book Launch Advocacy and Judging: Selected Papers of Murray Gleeson, address by The Hon Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of the High Court, 8 September 2017...
"It is an honour to be invited to launch this book and to say something about it and its author with whom I had the good fortune to serve on the High Court before his retirement. … A good public speaker is someone who is able to interest his or her audience in what is said and to stimulate thinking on a topic. These aims can be difficult to achieve if the speaker is not himself or herself interested in the topic. The depth of thought given to topics such as public confidence in the judiciary, judicial legitimacy, the rule of law and legality in this collection leave the reader in no doubt that they are regarded as matters of high importance by the author. Others have said that this book will be a great resource and I agree. I have often quoted from the former Chief Justice’s papers because they so often contain an insight which cannot be better and more succinctly stated." Read Launch Speech...