Edmund Barton - Judicial Career

Judicial Career

Barton was one of only eight justices of the High Court to have served in the Parliament of Australia prior to his appointment to the Court; the others were Richard O'Connor, Isaac Isaacs, H. B. Higgins, Edward McTiernan, John Latham, Garfield Barwick, and Lionel Murphy. Barton was also one of six justices to have served in the Parliament of New South Wales, along with O'Connor, Albert Piddington, Adrian Knox, McTiernan, and H. V. Evatt.

On the bench Sir Edmund was considered a good and "scrupulously impartial" judge and adopted the same position of moderate conservatism he had taken in politics. Along with his colleagues Griffith and O'Connor, he attempted to preserve the autonomy of the States and developed a doctrine of "implied immunity of instrumentalities", which prevented the States from taxing Commonwealth officers, and also prevented the Commonwealth from arbitrating industrial disputes in the States' railways. They also narrowly interpreted the Federal Government's powers in commercial and industrial matters.

After 1906, Sir Edmund increasingly clashed with Isaac Isaacs and H. B. Higgins, the two advanced liberals appointed to the court by Deakin. Like Sir Samuel Griffith, Barton was several times consulted by Governors-General of Australia on the exercise of the reserve powers. In 1919, although ill, he was extremely disappointed to be passed over for the position of Chief Justice on the retirement of Griffith.