Pre-judicial career
Keane was admitted as a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1976 and went to the bar,as a Barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland,in 1977. [4] During 1978–1979,he was a part-time lecturer at the University of Queensland. [4]
In 1988,after 11 years at the bar,Keane took silk. [4]
In 1992,Keane was appointed Solicitor-General of Queensland,a position he held under Labor and Coalition state governments until his appointment to the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland. [4] [9]
Keane published a number of articles and has been outspoken on the quality of legislative drafting. During 1990–1992,he was the Deputy Chairman of the Queensland Law Reform Commission. [10] In 2011,he condemned the "volume and complexity of federal laws",telling the Australian Financial Review that "opening the tax act is like entering the door to a parallel universe". [11]
Judicial career
In 2005,Keane was appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland,the highest court in that state. [4]
On 10 February 2010,Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland announced that Keane would be appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. [12] Keane took up that role on 22 March 2010. [13]
On 8 June 2015,he was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the law and to the judiciary,through contributions to improved legal and public administration,as an advocate for increased access to justice,to ethical standards,and to a range of professional organisations. [14] [4]
High Court career
On 20 November 2012,Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced that Keane had been appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia effective on the retirement of Dyson Heydon on 1 March 2013. [15] Keane became the 50th Justice appointed to the High Court. [9] Keane's position as Chief Justice on the Federal Court bench was filled by James Allsop,the president of the NSW Court of Appeal. [16]
Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong)
In 2023,Keane was nominated as a non-permanent judge at the age of 70. The appointment comes after two other foreign non-permanent judges resigned from the positions after citing issues with the government crackdown on freedoms in the region. [17]
He remained in the position,along with other Australian judges William Gummow,and James Allsop,after British judge Jonathan Sumption resigned,criticising the judiciary of Hong Kong after 14 prominent democratic activists were convicted for subversion. [18] [19]
A speech given by Keane in Sydney's Banco Court on 22 October 2024 was picketed by a small group of demonstrators over his role in the Court of Final Appeal. The protesters held pictures showing Jimmy Lai. On 24 October,the Hong Kong government released a statement that described "any attempt by any organisation or individual to exert pressure on judges and judicial officers" as being "clearly a reprehensible act" that should be "vehemently condemned". [19]
