THE CARMODY CONTROVERSY - QUEENSLAND'S JUDICIAL SPLIT
2013:
September: Premier Campbell Newman appoints Tim Carmody as Queensland's chief magistrate
2014:
June: The legal fraternity reacts angrily when Newman elevates Carmody to chief justice
- Bar Association president Peter Davis resigns over the appointment
- Former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff and Davis say Carmody is too close to the LNP government
- Justice John Muir warns Carmody's appointment could weaken public confidence in the administration of justice
July
- For the first time in almost a century, the new chief justice is sworn in at a private ceremony; critics say this is to avoid a public display of no confidence by other judges
- Newman and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie hold peace talks with judicial figures but corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald describes the meeting as a "staged reconciliation". Newman later urges judges to get on with their jobs.
- Justice Muir says Carmody's appointment is akin to getting a suburban GP to lead cardiac surgeons through open heart surgery
August
- Not a single Supreme Court judge attends a public welcoming ceremony for Carmody, who comes close to tears while speaking of the distress his family has suffered
September
- Davis says that before he quit, an unnamed person with close ties to the Liberal National Party threatened the organisation with retribution unless the Carmody appointment was supported
2015:
March
- Justice Alan Wilson uses his retirement speech to say the Carmody appointment had plunged the court into crisis. He accuses Carmody of calling his colleagues "snakes and scum" and says he improperly meddled with protocols of appointing judges to the Court of Disputed Returns after the cliffhanger election
- Queensland's new Labor government promises to draw up transparent protocols to govern the appointment of new judges
- Carmody writes to barristers saying he won't be bullied out of his job
April
- Lawyers handling an appeal by Daniel Morcombe's killer say Carmody should be disqualified from hearing the case because he met child protection campaigner Hetty Johnston; Carmody later stands down voluntarily but says the claims of bias are absurd
May
8th - An email exchange surfaces revealing Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo has refused to work with Carmody in any court
12th - Carmody takes a month's sick leave citing a back problem, but says he has every intention of finishing his term
25th - Carmody says his position has become untenable and reveals he's offered to quit, as long as he's compensated and the government acts to reform the courts
27th - Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Carmody drama has become a national issue
28th - Carmody holds a meeting with Yvette D'Ath, who describes it as "constructive" and says a "range of issues" were discussed, but refuses to elaborate. Later that day, Carmody cancels his address to The North Queensland Law Association scheduled for Friday because his wife is in hospital.
June
1st - Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo takes time during an admissions ceremony in Brisbane to reassure Queenslanders that judges are continuing to deliver timely justice
5th - The ABC lodges an appeal against a Queensland government decision not to release Chief Justice Tim Carmody's alleged tirade at the state's Supreme Court judges in February.
11th - Carmody's extends his sick leave by two weeks. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says he didn't advise the government.
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