AUSTRALIANA Politics Biography Law

Jenny Hocking’s political biography of Australian barrister, politician and High Court judge Lionel Murphy forced a reinterpretation of Murphy’s considerable legal, social and political legacy.

Jenny Hocking traces Murphy’s life from childhood to his role in the Labor split of the 1950s, his pioneering work as a senator and reformist Attorney-General in the Whitlam government, to his rise to the bench of the High Court, through to his untimely death, amidst controversy, in 1986. His life is the story of a passionate reformer who was steadfastly committed to the institutions of the law and the parliament, and a constant champion of democratic values. It is also the story of a turbulent period of legal and social change in Australia. Drawing on numerous personal interviews as well as access to previously unseen archival material, this biography paints a vivid portrait of an individual who has left an indelible mark on Australian politics, law and culture.First Edition.

• xii, 359 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., ports. ; 24 cm.
• 1. Reluctant exile
• 2. Keith
• 3. Lionel Keith
• 4. Crimes of the heart
• 5. Dream king
• 6. Cooking in the kitchen
• 7. Divine intervention
• 8. Every post a winner
• 9. Last man hanged
• 10. Turbulent politics
• 11. A brand new beat
• 12. A social and cultural government
• 13. A friend of the court
• 14. The election that never was
• 15. Economic law and order
• 16. Criminalising politics
• 17. Legal fiction
• 18. The responsibility of judges
• 19. Troubles
• 20. An unconquered Celt
• 21. Epilogue.
• Murphy, Lionel, 1922-1986
• Judges — Australia — Biography
• Legislators — Australia — Biography
• Australia — Politics and government — 1945- — Biography
• Judiciary
• Attorney-General
• Murphy, Justice Lionel
• Former Ministers
• ALP
• Biography
• High Court judges
• Federal issue

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