Supreme Court of Tasmania


The Supreme Court is the highest court in Tasmania and includes the trial division, Full Court and Court of Appeal.

People accused of serious offences, such as murder, manslaughter and serious drug offences, are dealt with in the Supreme Court after preliminary hearings have been conducted in the Magistrates' Court. If there is a plea of not guilty, then a jury will decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty.

In civil law matters the trial division hears all matters involving amounts of more than $50,000. These cases are usually tried by a judge alone, but in some cases, at the election of a party, by a jury of seven people in a court presided over by a judge.

There is a right of appeal in the Supreme Court from the decision of a magistrate's court and from most tribunals. Appeals from the decision of a Supreme Court judge and jury are usually heard by a court consisting of three or more Supreme Court judges, called the Court of Criminal Appeal. Where a matter has been determined by a single judge of the Supreme Court, or a judge and jury, in a civil matter, a party has a right of appeal to a court consisting of three or more Supreme Court Judges, called the Full Court of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court buildings are located in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.

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