District Court of Queensland

The District Court of Queensland '' is the second tier in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia. The Court deals with serious criminal offences such as rape, armed robbery and fraud. Juries are used to decide if defendants are guilty or not guilty.
The original court was established in 1866 to ease the workload of the Supreme Court of Queensland. However, in 1921 the Queensland Parliament decided District Courts were no longer necessary and the courts were abolished. They were re-established by Parliament in 1958, again to relieve the workload in the Supreme Court. The present court is constituted under the District Court of Queensland Act 1967. That Act amalgamated the previous District Court in existence prior to 1967 into the new District Court.
The District Court sits in 32 locations across Queensland. Judges also travel throughout the state to hear matters in regional and remote areas.
Decisions made by the District Court may be heard on appeal to the Supreme Court; and the District Court may sit as an appellate court for decisions made in the Magistrates Court of Queensland. The unreported judgments of the is published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Jurisdiction

Civil

The District Court has jurisdiction to hear civil matters for which the amount in dispute is less than or equal to $750,000, and more than $150,000. Civil disputes in which the amount in dispute is more than $750,000 are heard by the Supreme Court, while those in which the amount is $150,000 or less are heard by either the Magistrates Court or the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. are published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Criminal

The District Court has the jurisdiction to hear criminal matters in which the defendant has been charged with a serious indictable offence. These trials require a jury. are published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Composition

Judges of the District Court

The District Court operates permanent courts in Brisbane, located in the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law building on George Street, Brisbane CBD; and Cairns, Ipswich, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Southport, Townsville, and sits in regional areas as required. In Brisbane, the District Court shares the location with the Supreme Court.
, the judges who sat at the District Court, together with their location, were:

Name	Location	Date appointed	Term in office	Comments
Judge John Allen	Brisbane			Deputy President, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Judge Ken Barlow	Brisbane
Judge Michael J. F. Burnett	Rockhampton
Judge Michael Byrne	Brisbane
Judge Glen Cash	Maroochydore
Judge Craig Chowdhury	Beenleigh
Judge Leanne Clare	Brisbane
Judge Jeffrey Clarke	Rockhampton
Judge John Coker	Townsville
Judge Geraldine Dann	Southport
Judge Ian Dearden	Brisbane
Justice Julie M. Dick	Brisbane
Judge William G. Everson	Brisbane
Judge Tracy Fantin	Brisbane
Judge Brad Farr	Brisbane
Judge Terry Gardiner	Brisbane			Also Chief Magistrate
Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren	Ipswich
Judge Rowan Jackson	Southport
Judge Nathan Jarro	Brisbane
Judge Richard Jones	Brisbane
Judge Nicole Kefford	Brisbane
Judge David Kent	Southport
Judge Gary Long	Maroochydore
Judge Vicki Loury	Brisbane
Judge Dennis Lynch	Ipswich
Judge Gregory Lynham	Townsville
Judge Dean P. Morzone	Cairns
Judge Tony Moynihan	Brisbane
Judge Catherine Muir	Southport
Judge Katherine M. McGinness	Southport
Judge Bernard Porter	Brisbane
Judge Michael E. Rackemann	Brisbane
Judge Anthony J. Rafter	Brisbane
Judge David Reid	Brisbane
Judge Deborah Richards	Brisbane
Judge Orazio Rinaudo	Brisbane
Judge Jennifer Rosengren	Brisbane
Judge Suzanne C. Sheridan	Brisbane
Judge Paul E. Smith	Brisbane			Also Judge Administrator
Judge Michael Williamson	Brisbane