Opinions on High

We have The Court for Canada, the New Zealand Supreme Court Blog, for New Zealand, and SCOTUSblog for the United States. As of last week, Australia also has a blog dedicated to discussion of the decisions of its highest court: Opinions on High. Indeed, Melbourne Law School, at the University of Melbourne, expressly noted the influence of these three blogs in the development of its own high court commentary site.

It seems an objective of the Opinions on High is to engage a wide audience. Melbourne’s Associate Dean (Engagement) Professor Miranda Stewart not only expects the site to be a venue for ” interested members of the community, as well as legal professionals and scholars. Its aim is “…be a forum for lively discussion about High Court decisions.” Professor Stewart also hopes it “will deepen the public’s knowledge of [Australia’s] highest court.”

Like The Court and New Zealand Supreme Court Blog, Opinions on High is an initiative of the academic sector. It is wonderful to see such efforts not only to keep the legal community informed, but also to contribute to the advancement of public legal education and understanding of the judiciary’s work.