Judith Clair Kelly SC

Senior Counsel

The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...

 is a Judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory

The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters...

. She was appointed to the Court on 12 August 2009 replacing Justice Sally Thomas

Sally Thomas

Sally Gordon Thomas AM was a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Australia from 1992 - 2009. She was appointed to the Court on 10 August 1992 and was the first female to be appointed a Judge of the Court.-Early life:...

. Justice Kelly was only the second female appointment to the Court since it was established in 1911.

At the time of her appointment Justice Kelly was a barrister with William Forster Chambers having been the first barrister to be appointed as 'Senior Counsel' (rather than 'Queens Counsel') in 2008.