James Joshua Edelman (born 9 January 1974)
has been a justice of the
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation.
The High Court was establi ...
since 30 January 2017, and is a former justice of the
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (mo ...
and the
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of or more ...
. He is noted for his various achievements at a young age, including becoming a professor at
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
before the age of 35 and a justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia before the age of 40.
He was 43 years old upon commencing his appointment on the High Court and is eligible to continue until reaching the constitutionally required retirement age of 70 in 2044.
Education
Edelman completed high school at
Scotch College in
Perth, Western Australia
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
.
He completed bachelor's degrees in economics (1995) and Law (first class honours, 1996) at the
University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
and a Bachelor of Commerce (1997) at
Murdoch University
Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its ...
.
He was awarded a
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world.
Established in 1902, it is ...
in 1998 and completed a doctorate at
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
, in 2001.
Career
Legal
Edelman was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1998 after serving as an associate to Justice
John Toohey in the
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation.
The High Court was establi ...
in 1997 and completing an articled clerkship at
Blake Dawson Waldron.
He was a member of the Chambers of
Malcolm McCusker
Malcolm James McCusker (born 6 August 1938) is an Australian barrister and philanthropist who was the 31st Governor of Western Australia, serving from July 2011 to June 2014.
Born in Perth, McCusker was educated at Hobart High School (in Hob ...
QC from 2001 until his appointment as a justice in 2011.
Edelman was called to the English bar in 2008
and was a member of
One Essex Court chambers.
Edelman appeared as junior counsel to
Malcolm McCusker
Malcolm James McCusker (born 6 August 1938) is an Australian barrister and philanthropist who was the 31st Governor of Western Australia, serving from July 2011 to June 2014.
Born in Perth, McCusker was educated at Hobart High School (in Hob ...
on behalf of
Andrew Mallard in Mallard's successful appeal to the
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation.
The High Court was establi ...
.
Academic
Edelman became a tutor at
Keble College,
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, in 2005.
Following his appointment to the Supreme Court, Edelman continued to teach as an
Adjunct Professor
An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
at the
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
and University of Western Australia, as well as holding the honorary position of
Conjoint Professor at the
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
.
Edelman is also a patron and former editor of the ''
Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal''.
Edelman has been noted as having a "prodigious" record of publications. At the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court, his publications included six books and more than 80 articles, reviews, and notes.
Judicial
Edelman was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in April 2011 following the retirement of Justice
Peter Blaxell.
He took the oath of office on 22 July 2011.
It was reported that, at the age of 37, Edelman was the youngest person to join the Supreme Court bench.
However, at the welcome ceremony for Edelman, Chief Justice
Wayne Martin noted that the reports were incorrect and in fact Sir
Lawrence Jackson was appointed at the age of 36 in 1949.
In April 2015, Edelman was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia.
He replaced Justice
Peter Jacobson, who had retired in January 2015.
In November 2016, it was announced that Edelman would be appointed as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He commenced the appointment when Justice
Susan Kiefel became
Chief Justice of Australia
The chief justice of Australia is the presiding justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Stephen Gageler, since 6 November 2023.
Constitutional basis
Th ...
on 30 January 2017. He is the fourth youngest person to join the Court, after
H. V. Evatt
Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General of Australia, Attorney-General and Minister for For ...
,
Sir Edward McTiernan and
Sir Owen Dixon.
Honours and recognition
Edelman was appointed a
Companion of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
in the
2025 Australia Day Honours.
Personal
Edelman is married and has two children.
Edelman is Jewish.
Bibliography
* (with Elise Bant)
* (with Simone Degeling)
* (with Andrew S. Burrows and
Ewan McKendrick)
* (with Elise Bant)
* (with Derek Ian Cassidy)
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelman, James
1974 births
Living people
Australian Jews
Companions of the Order of Australia
Australian Rhodes Scholars
Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia
Judges of the Federal Court of Australia
Justices of the High Court of Australia
University of Western Australia alumni
Murdoch University alumni
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford