Virginia Margaret Bell (born 7 March 1951) is a judge of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. She was sworn in on 3 February 2009.
Bell was educated at SCEGGS Darlinghurst before attending the University of Sydney, where she graduated in law in 1976.
Bell lives in inner Sydney with her female partner, a barrister. She has long been involved in the LGBT and human rights issues, participating in the fir...
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Virginia Margaret Bell (born 7 March 1951) is a judge of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. She was sworn in on 3 February 2009.
Bell was educated at SCEGGS Darlinghurst before attending the University of Sydney, where she graduated in law in 1976.
Bell lives in inner Sydney with her female partner, a barrister. She has long been involved in the LGBT and human rights issues, participating in the first Mardi Gras LGBT rights rally in Sydney in 1978, which was broken up by police. She is the first lesbian to serve on the High Court, and the second openly LGBT person after Michael Kirby, whom she replaced upon his retirement on 3 February 2009.
Australian Law Reform Commission president David Weisbrot said he suspects Bell will be a 'progressive' jurist in the tradition of Michael Kirby.
Bell was admitted as a solicitor of New South Wales in 1977. She was a solicitor at the Redfern Legal Centre from 1978-1984.
In 1984 Bell was called to the...
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