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John Sackar

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Honourable
John Robertson Sackar
AM KC
Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
In office
February 2011 – 16 February 2024
Personal details
EducationSydney Boys High School
Alma materThe University of Sydney
OccupationLawyer, barrister, judge, mediator

John Robertson Sackar AM KC is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Sackar is an Australian King's Counsel who has also appeared in the courts of London and Brunei, including before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.[1][2][3] Retired from the bench in 2024, Sackar is now a mediator.[3]

[edit]

Sackar attended Sydney Boys High School and then Sydney University, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1972 after initially studying medicine. He would later go on to receive a Master of Laws from the same institution.

Sackar was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 1973, beginning his legal career at Hickson Lakeman & Holcombe (now Hicksons Lawyers) as an articled clerk under the guidance of David Kirby and Jim Poulos. Sackar then practised as a solicitor at Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst Australia).[2]

Years as a barrister

[edit]

Sackar was called to the New South Wales Bar in 1975 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987.[1][2] He was a member of the Sixth Floor of Selborne Chambers in Phillip Street, Sydney for most of his time at the Bar.[4] He specialised in defamation actions.[5] Malcolm Turnbull, later to become an Australian Prime Minister, read with Sackar in his early years at the NSW Bar.[6] Sackar was called to the Middle Temple in London during 2006, with chambers at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.[1][3]

Judicial appointment

[edit]

Sackar was appointed to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in February 2011. He sat in the Equity Division of the Court and was its Expedition list Judge.[2][1][3] In 2017, Sackar heard a dispute between Seven West Media and Amber Harrison concerning an affair between Harrison and Seven West chief executive officer Tim Worner.[7][8][9] In 2019, Sackar heard a dispute launched by Australian artist and Archibald Prize winner John Olsen concerning the misappropriation of funds from the bank account of his deceased wife, Katherine, by Olsen's stepdaughter, Katharine.[10][11][12] In 2021, he presided over defamation proceedings brought by actor Craig McLachlan against The Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[13]

In 2022-2023, Sackar led the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ Hate Crimes, which was set up to "investigat[e] unsolved suspected hate crime deaths of LGBTIQ people (or people who were presumed to be LGBTIQ) in NSW between 1970 and 2010".[14][15]

Sackar retired as a judge in February 2024.[3]

Post-judicial career

[edit]

In 2025, Sackar conducted a review for the Attorney General of New South Wales into the State's laws concerning hate speech and racial vilification.[16] His mandate was to "consider criminal law protections against hate speech for vulnerable communities".[17][18]

Personal life

[edit]

Sackar is a collector of art, books and artefacts, as well as an agriculturalist.[1][19][20][3] He has three children from his first marriage, and one from his second.[5]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2025 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to the judiciary, and to law".[21][22] Since 2019, Sackar served as President and Chair of the Arts Law Centre of Australia, a non-profit organisation.[23]

Published works

[edit]
  • Lord Devlin. Hart Publishing. 2020. p. 256. ISBN 978-1509923700.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Hon Justice John Sackar - Appointment". [2011] NSWBarAssocNews 18. 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sackar, Justice J. (2011). "Swearing in ceremony of the Honourable John Sackar QC as a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW". [2011] NSW Judicial Scholarship 2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bathurst CJ, Tom. "Retirement of the Hon John Sackar from the Supreme Court of New South Wales" (PDF). Bar News (Summer 2024). Bar Association of New South Wales: 78. Retrieved 6 May 2025 – via AustLII.
  4. ↑ "About - Sixth Floor". Sixth Floor Selborne Wentworth Chambers.
  5. 1 2 Mayne, Stephen (17 July 2017). "The Turnbull connection: judge in the Amber Harrison case keeps powerful company". Crikey.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Goings On..." Justinian.com.au. 10 July 2009.
  7. ↑ "Amber Harrison ordered to pay costs of Seven West Media". The Guardian. AAP. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Patrick, Aaron (12 July 2017). "Amber Harrison fights to the bitter end". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  9. ↑ Han, Misa (11 July 2017). "Amber Harrison: 'Seven chose to run this trial and should pay for it'". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  10. ↑ Drewitt-Smith, Ainslie (29 July 2019). "Archibald winner claims stepdaughter influenced 'vulnerable' wife to withdraw $2m from account". ABC News. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela (21 August 2020). "'Very relieved': John Olsen happy after torrid legal fight over $2.2 million cash 'gift'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "John Olsen wins case against stepdaughter over $2.2m 'gift' from terminally ill mother". The Guardian. AAP. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Mitchell, Georgina (22 October 2021). "McLachlan accused of touching colleague's breast on Neighbours, court told". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes". Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Burge, Michael (22 December 2023). "The 'ugly', ignored history of LGBTQ+ hate crimes should not be allowed to fade". Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  16. ↑ Begley, Jessica McSweeney, Patrick (1 April 2026). "Neo-Nazi protesters outside parliament did not incite racial hatred, police find". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Begley, Jessica McSweeney, Patrick (1 April 2026). "Neo-Nazi protesters outside parliament did not incite racial hatred, police find". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ Coade, Melissa (8 May 2025). "Social cohesion focus for NSW hate speech review". The Mandarin. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Mizen, Ronald (1 February 2024). "Inside the legal fraternity's eclectic private art collections". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Picture of the law: new art displays at Supreme Court". Law Society Journal. 26 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "Member of the Order of Australia". Its an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  22. ↑ Watson, Graeme (25 January 2025). "Australia Day honours shun celebrities for everyday Australians". OUTinPerth. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  23. ↑ Neilson, Naomi (27 October 2023). "Arts Law Centre names new CEO". Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
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