The High Court Database originated with Professor Zoe Robinson, who received funding from the ANU for a database that mimicked the US Supreme Court Database in order to facilitate rich empirical study of the High Court of Australia, both as a single case study as well as in comparative context with other apex courts. To facilitate robust comparative study, the High Court Database was expressly modeled on the US Supreme Court Database in terms of variable categorization and variable names. Like the Supreme Court Database, the goal of the High Court Database is to provide robust empirical data on the cases heard by the High Court of Australia as well as the justices that hear the case for multiple audiences, ranging from empirical legal scholars to journalists.

The High Court Database comprises all cases decided by a panel of the High Court of Australia between 1995 and 2020. The dataset includes every decision of the Court, regardless of whether the decision was reported or unreported. The next iteration of the High Court Database will extend forward to 2023. Future iterations intend to backdate the dataset back to 1986, when the Australian High Court formally became Australia’s apex court.

Citing the HCDB

Robinson, Zoe and Patrick Leslie. The Australian High Court Database, 2024 version URL: https://aushighcourtdatabase.org