Most High Court judges will be women in Australian first

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Most judges sitting on Australia’s highest court will be women for the first time in the institution’s 121-year history. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Thursday that Justice Jayne Jagot will fill a High Court vacancy on its seven-judge bench when Justice Patrick Keane retires Oct. 17. Jagot has been a Federal Court judge since 2008. Dreyfus says Jagot’s gender didn’t figure in his decision to choose her after consultations with leading judges and lawyers. Dreyfus told reporters the “best possible person” is being appointed. Jargot will be the 56th judge and only the seventh woman to serve on the High Court since it was created in 1901.