Dyson Heydon

Dyson Heydon
Justice of the High Court of Australia
In office
1 February 2003 – 28 February 2013
Nominated byJohn Howard
Appointed byPeter Hollingworth
Preceded byMary Gaudron
Succeeded byPatrick Keane
Personal details
Born (1943-03-01) 1 March 1943 (age 81)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
NationalityAustralian
Parent(s)Muriel Heydon (née Slater)
Sir Peter Heydon
Alma mater
OccupationBarrister, Judge, Academic

John Dyson Heydon KC (born 1 March 1943) is an Australian former judge and barrister who served on the High Court of Australia from 2003 to 2013 and the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 2000 to 2003, and previously served as Dean of the Sydney Law School. He retired from the bench at the constitutionally-mandated age of 70 and went on to chair the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption between 2014 and 2015, an appointment that was politically controversial due to his avowed conservatism and connections with the governing conservative party.

In 2020, an independent investigation conducted for the High Court found that he had sexually harassed six female associates. Further allegations were reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.[1]

  1. ^ McClymont, Kate; Maley, Jacqueline (22 June 2020). "High Court inquiry finds former justice Dyson Heydon sexually harassed associates". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.