District Court of New South Wales

District Court of New South Wales
Downing Centre, a seat of the District Court in Sydney CBD
Established1858
Jurisdiction New South Wales
LocationFull time sittings are held in the Sydney CBD, and at Parramatta, Penrith, Campbelltown, Newcastle, Gosford, Wollongong and Lismore. Part time sittings are held in a range of major regional centres.
Composition methodVice-regal appointment upon nomination by the Premier following the advice of the Attorney General and Cabinet
Authorised byNew South Wales Parliament via the: District Court Act 1973 (NSW)
Appeals to
Appeals fromLocal Court of NSW
Websitedistrictcourt.nsw.gov.au
Chief Judge
CurrentlySarah Huggett
Since2024

The District Court of New South Wales is the intermediate court in the judicial hierarchy of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a trial court and has an appellate jurisdiction. In addition, the Judges of the Court preside over a range of tribunals. In its criminal jurisdiction, the Court may deal with all serious criminal offences except murder, treason and piracy. The Court's civil jurisdiction is generally limited to claims less than A$1,250,000.

The District Court has had its current structure since reforms during 1973 which created a single court with a statewide criminal and civil jurisdiction.[1][2] The Chief Judge of the District Court, since 2014, is the Honourable Justice Sarah Huggett.[3]

  1. ^ District Court Act 1973 (NSW).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Doraisamy, Jerome (15 April 2024). "First woman appointed as Chief Judge of District Court of NSW". Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved 8 June 2024.