Michael Hudson McHugh (born 1 November 1935) is a former 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 ...

; the highest court in the

Australian court hierarchy The judiciary of Australia comprises judges who sit in federal courts and courts of the States and territories of Australia, States and Territories of Australia. The High Court of Australia sits at the apex of the Australian court hierarchy as t ...

Early years

The son of a miner and steelworker, McHugh left school at 15 despite excelling academically and in rugby league at Marist Brothers, Newcastle. For the next seven years, he worked as a telegram boy, crane chaser, sawmill worker and labourer until he enrolled at evening school. At 22, with his

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certificate ...

in hand, he started studying law as a student-at-law with the Legal Profession Admission Board and taught by the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

Legal career

McHugh was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1961 after taking the Barristers Admission Board Examinations. He was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

(QC) in 1973 and was Vice President of the New South Wales Bar Association, 1978–81, and later President, 1981–83. In 1980, he was counsel for Wyong Shire Council in '' Wyong Shire Council v Shirt'', a landmark

negligence Negligence ( Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate care expected to be exercised in similar circumstances. Within the scope of tort law, negligence pertains to harm caused by the violation of a duty of care through a neg ...

case on breach of duty. He was President of the Australian Bar Association 1983–84.

NSW Court of Appeal judicial appointment

He was appointed as a Judge of Appeal of the

New South Wales Court of Appeal The New South Wales Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, is the highest court for civil matters and has appellate jurisdiction in the Australian state of New South Wales. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeal operates pursu ...

on 30 October 1984.

High Court appointment

He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in February 1989, a position he held until his retirement in October 2005 in accordance with Section 72 of the

Australian Constitution The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...

, which states that Justices of the High Court must retire from office upon turning 70. He was succeeded by Justice Susan Crennan, then 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 ...

Post-retirement

After he retired from the High Court, McHugh was appointed as one of the Non-Permanent Justices of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. Another Australian judge on the Court of Final Appeal is Sir Anthony Mason. McHugh was appointed to head the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in New South Wales on 6 May 2015. McHugh provided his report on 16 June 2016, finding overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty. Following the report, the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

decided to shut down the greyhound racing in NSW from 1 July 2017, a decision that was reversed on 11 October 2016. McHugh currently practises as an independent mediator and arbitrator at Eleven Wentworth in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Family

He is married to former Australian federal MP and Minister Jeannette McHugh.

Honours

*He received Australia's highest civil honour when he was made 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 ...

(AC) in 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McHugh, Michael 1935 births Living people Justices of the High Court of Australia Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Justices of the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong) Australian judges on the courts of Hong Kong Australian King's Counsel Companions of the Order of Australia Australian people of Irish descent Spouses of Australian politicians People from Newcastle, New South Wales