A new biographical website has been launched on an important 1950s Northern Territory judge, combining unpublished cases, media reportage and contemporary analysis on an important period in Australian legal history.
The website, hosted by the T.C. Beirne School of Law at The University of Queensland, is: http://www.law.uq.edu.au/justice-martin-kriewaldt
The site centres around the life, times and judgements of Justice Martin Kriewaldt, who served as the sole judge of the Northern Territory Supreme Court between 1951 and 1960.
During his time on the bench Justice Kriewaldt presided over a large number of murder cases, many concerning Indigenous defendants.
The Namatjira case was a particularly famous case in Australian legal history, which saw Albert Namatjira, a celebrated Indigenous artist, sentenced to prison for sharing rum with his cousin.
The case, which went all the way up to the High Court, became a test case for the 1950s assimilation policy and the prohibition on alcohol consumption by Aboriginal people.
Through these cases Justice Kriewaldt developed a number of legal principles which still bear relevance in cases involving Indigenous defendants today.
Described as a fearless, fair and good judge who combined justice with mercy in his approach to dealing with Aboriginal defendants, Justice Kriewaldt was an important and influential figure throughout the 1950s.
The website itself seeks to blend history, biography, case excerpts, newspaper articles from the period, and contemporary analysis to provide a multimedia portal into this important period in Australian legal history.
The site contains a string of previously unpublished cases, as well as photos and archive material which will add considerably to the pool of online resources accessible to students, teachers, academics and members of the public.
It also features a number of published journal articles by UQ's Associate Professor Heather Douglas, a leading Australian academic on Indigenous legal history.
"Kriewaldt’s work broke new ground in legal thinking on Indigenous criminal issues," she said.
"He was constantly challenged by the relationship between customary law and white law. The principles he developed remain important today."
The website was made possible with the support of a NT History Grant.
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