In 1858 the district courts were established with a civil jurisdiction up to £200 replacing the Court of Requests which only sat in limited places,[a] and had a general claim limit of £10 to £30.
[2] Initially each judge was appointed to a specific district.
Serious criminal matters that were not punishable by death were heard by the courts of quarter sessions.
[6] The role was renamed Chief Judge with the restructure of the courts in 1973.
[7] In 1918 the Judges Retirement Act 1918 (NSW), operated to retrospectively impose a retirement age of 70 immediately affecting Charles Heydon, Ernest Docker and Grantley Fitzhardinge and subsequently other judges in a similar position, such as Montgomerie Hamilton and Alfred Backhouse.