Episode 23 - Should you be able to sue the judge?

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For centuries there have been restrictions on suing a judge who has heard your case if you think they got it badly wrong. You could appeal against the decision or, in theory, petition the legislature to remove the judge. But you couldn't normally sue the judge for damages. There were some exceptions to this rule but these have been removed in Australia in a recent case that went all the way to the High Court.

This episode discusses The State of Queensland v Stradford (2025) and the arguments either way for giving judges an immunity from being sued and whether there could be a compromise position, perhaps involving insurance, so that the victims of gross judicial negligence and not left effectively without a remedy.

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