The High Court of Australia was created with Federation in 1901, by section 71 of the Constitution. It is both the highest court of appeal in Australia and the body responsible for determining the meaning and powers of the Constitution.
Alfred Deakin, later Australia's second prime minister, introduced a Bill to establish the High Court in 1903. The Judiciary Act was passed that year and the High Court opened officially in Melbourne on 6 October. There were initially three judges – Sir Edmund Barton, Sir Samuel Griffiths and Richard O'Connor.
Since 1946, the High Court bench has been made up of seven Justices. The photograph shows the full bench of the High Court in 1987 in the High Court building in Canberra.
Part of the National Archives exhibition Memory of a Nation highlights the importance and history of the High Court. There you can find out how High Court Justices have interpreted the Constitution in three landmark cases, including the Communist Party case from 1951. You can also get a sense of the changing character of the court under different Chief Justices.
More information about this record is available in the National Archives RecordSearch database. The link below takes you into the database.
Where you see this symbol in RecordSearch, a digital copy of the item can be viewed online. Simply click on the 'View digital copy' link.
Do you have information to share about this picture? We are interested in receiving more details about the material in our collection.
We invite you to share your knowledge by filling in our feedback form – remember to include the picture details in your response. Please note that we may not respond to your comment.
Pic of the Week presents a selection of images from the rich collection of the National Archives. Each week a different image is featured on our home page. You can browse the full year's worth of pics.
You can also browse or search for pictures in our image bank, PhotoSearch.