Victorians are invited to explore 175 years of the Supreme Court’s fascinating social history as the Royal Historical Society of Victoria commemorates the anniversary with their Judging for the People exhibition and conference.

Open to the public from Monday 11 April, the exhibition will bring to life stories of judges, vexed relations and the movable feast of buildings that the court has called home over the years. The media’s relationship with the court, the system of sentencing and the evolution of how divorce is handled will also be in the spotlight.

Items featured in the exhibition include:

• Diaries and notes from the first lawyer in Melbourne, William Meek – a casualty of the first economic downturn of the 1840s
• The first bible used for swearing-in, dated 1841 and signed by Sir Redmond Barry
• Handwritten notebooks and musings by the controversial Judge John Walpole Willis
• Elaborate judicial robes and wigs.

Event:                          ‘Judging for the People’ Exhibition

Dates:                          11 April – 7 June

Time:                           10am – 4pm Monday-Thursday; 10am – 3pm Friday

Venue:                         239 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne