(University of Oregon School of Law, 2024-05-01) Thompson, Keith
"In this Article, I suggest that Chief Justice Dixon considered that judicial virtue did not allow any judge to follow his own lights when precedent, established custom, or constitutional convention dictated a contrary result. In later Parts of the Article, I relate Chief Justice Dixon’s famous 1952 statement about “strict and complete legalism” to both judicial integrity and freedom of religion at common law. I suggest that Chief Justice Dixon’s primary concern when he became Chief Justice was not to talk about judicial method but rather to signal judicial virtue to all Australian judges, present and future. Not only does Chief Justice Dixon provide lessons for Australian judges but for judges everywhere grappling with these issues, including those in the United States."
