Chief Judge and Judicial Officers

Chief Judge                

The Chief Judge is the principal judicial officer of the New South Wales District Court and is appointed by the Governor of New South Wales pursuant to the District Court Act 1973. The present Chief Judge is The Honourable Justice S Huggett, who was appointed in 2024.

The Chief Judge is supported by an executive office to monitor the workload of the District Court, allocate judicial resources and to schedule court sittings at locations throughout New South Wales. 

Judicial Officers

There are more than 80 judges of the District Court, who preside over cases throughout the state, along with acting judges. 

For a full list of the judges of the court in order of seniority see the Seniority List (DOC, 66.0 KB)

Judicial Registrar and Registrars

The District Court also has a Judicial Registrar. The Judicial Registrar presides in Sydney and his primary functions include:

• Setting directions for the case management of civil proceedings
• Determining notices of motion

Other registrars throughout the state assist with the management of cases by conducting call-overs, making subpoena access orders and other case management orders.

Principal Registrar

The court also has a Principal Registrar located in Sydney, who undertakes some administrative and ceremonial functions of the court.