Christopher John Kourakis (born 17 June 1958) is a Greek Australian lawyer and judge.
][citation needed] In 2008, Kourakis was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia and in 2012, he was elevated to the position of Chief Justice.
[citation needed] In August 2022, he overturned a decision by the former Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, to allow for exploratory mining to go ahead on Lake Torrens, citing concerns that Kelaray's heritage plan and procedures would "substantially detract" from the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988.
[8] In February 2023, together with Attorney-General of South Australia Kyam Maher, Kourakis announced several new appointments to the SA judicial system.
Among the appointees were the first two Aboriginal Australians to be appointed to the Magistrates Court of South Australia, Lana Chester and Natalie Brown.