The territory government has bucked a recent trend of looking interstate for ACT Supreme Court judges, appointing the newest resident member of the bench from within its existing ranks.
Associate Justice Verity McWilliam will be promoted from her current role, which involves dealing with the bulk of the court's civil cases, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury announced on Monday.
She will fill the vacancy left by Justice Geoffrey Kennett, who resigned last December to join the Federal Court in Sydney.
Associate Justice McWilliam took up her current role in 2017, having previously worked as a barrister and lectured in law at two universities.
She said she was delighted to accept the new position and to serve her home town of Canberra, where she graduated from the Australian National University in 2000.
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum also welcomed the appointment, describing Associate Justice McWilliam as a highly respected jurist with a unique breadth of experience.
"Her fairness, humanity and good judgement will serve the people of the territory well and will build upon the strength of the court," Chief Justice McCallum said.
Mr Rattenbury said Associate Justice McWilliam's elevation seemed to be "the natural next step" in her career.
"Her expertise will be invaluable to the court and for the administration of justice in the ACT," the Attorney-General said.
Associate Justice McWilliam is expected to be sworn in as a resident judge this week, ahead of a ceremonial sitting later this month.
Her replacement as associate judge is yet to be confirmed.
