Elizabeth Byrne has been a reporter for ABC News since 1987. She has reported on a wide variety of issues spanning federal politics and international issues, and is currently the ABC's High Court reporter.
Posted
Canberra lawyers launch a scathing attack on the ACT Government accusing it of "wilfully" hiding the fact several people may have been sent to jail illegally, because of a glitch.
Topics: states-and-territories, canberra-2600, act
Posted
A Canberra man who made a daring escape from Canberra's prison last year and got his girlfriend pregnant during the eight days on the run is sentenced to 15 months' jail.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, canberra-2600, act
Posted
The High Court challenge to the election of former Family First senator Bob Day ends with the court reserving its decision.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, adelaide-5000, sa, act, canberra-2600, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
Posted
Former Marist Brother Greg Sutton, who served more than 12 years behind bars for child sex abuse in NSW in the 1980s after being extradited from the US, is given a suspended sentence for offences against two Canberra boys.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, canberra-2600, act, nsw
Posted
| UpdatedThe High Court orders a special recount of the WA Senate vote after declaring the election of former One Nation senator Rod Culleton invalid.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, federal-parliament, federal-government, canberra-2600, act, australia, perth-6000, wa
Posted
A Canberra judge says trespass laws need to be changed after a man was able to squat in the home of his dead ex-partner for more than a year before being forcibly removed.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, domestic-violence, community-and-society, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
Lawyers for a man who escaped from Canberra's jail request a lenient sentence, telling the ACT Supreme Court he is to be a father after getting his girlfriend pregnant during his eight days on the run last year.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
An appeal by the AFP over a ruling for it to pay court costs over an unlawful raid on the CFMEU's Canberra offices is dismissed by the ACT Supreme Court.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, unions, royal-commissions, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
| UpdatedFormer One Nation senator Rod Culleton loses a bid to keep his entitlements, pending the outcome of two court cases examining his eligibility to serve in the Senate.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, federal-government, federal-parliament, government-and-politics, canberra-2600, act, perth-6000, wa, australia
Posted
The High Court deals a blow to Labor's foray into the case of embattled former senator Bob Day, rejecting a bid to widen the scope of a case examining whether he breached the constitution.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, melbourne-3000, vic, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
| UpdatedLawyers for former Family First senator Bob Day urge the High Court to reject evidence from two witnesses as the court considers whether he was validly elected.
Topics: courts-and-trials, government-and-politics, melbourne-3000, vic, act, canberra-2600
Posted
| UpdatedA woman tells the High Court she signed documents for the purchase of a building owned by former Family First senator Bob Day without reading them.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, federal-parliament, federal-government, adelaide-5000, sa, act, australia
Posted
| UpdatedIt's a high stakes game for former Labor senator Anne McEwen, who is waiting not just to hear whether former Family First senator Bob Day was validly elected, but also what orders the court will make about how the vacancy should be filled.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia, sa
Posted
A former Canberra criminal lawyer is found guilty of 14 counts of deception, after he accepted payment from a client's mother while also receiving funds from Legal Aid.
Topics: courts-and-trials, judges-and-legal-profession, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act
Posted
| UpdatedA Canberra man who tried to dishonestly claim a $1.4 million home loan from National Australia Bank, is sentenced to almost six years' jail by the ACT Supreme Court.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, fraud-and-corporate-crime, nicholls-2913, act
Posted
The ACT Supreme Court is to get a new justice with the appointment of David Mossop to replace Justice Richard Refshauge who is retiring.
Topics: courts-and-trials, judges-and-legal-profession, canberra-2600, act
Posted
The High Court takes the unusual step of allowing a special hearing into the election of former Family First senator Bob Day, to address questions raised by Labor before the full court considers the case in February.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, government-and-politics, federal-elections, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
A Canberra judge calls for changes to laws in the ACT, after he was unable to reverse an adoption from the 1980s due to an accidental loss of court powers.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, community-and-society, family-and-children, adoption, canberra-2600, act
Posted
Tensions between the ACT's Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker and the Director of Public Prosecutions get worse, after she delivers a stinging criticism of the DPP's handling of Industrial Court matters.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
The legal argument in today's High Court case may have been dry, but there were plenty of lively theatrics, beginning with Senator Rod Culleton's early arrival and cries of a "kangaroo court".
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, courts-and-trials, australia
Posted
The ACT Chief Magistrate lashes out over Industrial Court prosecutions saying they are plagued with a lack of diligence, as she considers whether to dismiss a case about a man who fell from the door of a plane he was cleaning.
Topics: industrial-relations, courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
A Canberra man convicted of sexually grooming his wife's goddaughter with explicit messages on Facebook is described as "predatory" and "disgraceful" by a judge.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, child-abuse, canberra-2600, act, australia
Posted
| UpdatedIn what is considered a key test of the Human Rights Act, a Canberra man locked up after officers erroneously believe he has breached bail conditions is awarded $2,453.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act
Posted
| UpdatedTwo Canberra men are found guilty of importing a marketable quantity of cocaine after the drug was intercepted in the mail, bound for one of the men's grandmother's address.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, drug-offences, courts-and-trials, canberra-2600, act
Posted
| UpdatedCanberra man David Eastman loses a bid to stay his murder charge over the killing of Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester, and will face trial next year.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia