- Senior District Court Judge Troy Denise Sweeney SC joins the WA Supreme Court bench
- Her Honour brings extensive expertise in the field of criminal law as a Judge and counsel
District Court Judge Troy Sweeney SC has been appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and Court of Appeal.
Her Honour leaves the WA District Court as the second longest serving Judge on the current panel of District Court Judges, behind only Chief Judge Julie Wager.
Judge Sweeney will start in her new role on 15 September 2025 to coincide with the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle.
Admitted to practice in 1987, Judge Sweeney spent 17 years as a counsel at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and former Crown Solicitor's Office.
During that period, she prosecuted criminal trials in the District and Supreme Courts. These include complex and lengthy murder trials, as well as sexual assault, child abuse, fraud and drug trials.
Her Honour also appeared in the Court of Appeal, where she appealed against convictions and sentences as well as argued occasional special leave applications before the High Court.
In 2005, when working as a Senior State Prosecutor, she was appointed a Senior Counsel.
She then became a District Court Judge in the following year and again worked predominantly in the criminal trial space.
Judge Sweeney was the Senior District Court Judge, supporting and standing in for the Chief Judge, between April 2024 and her appointment to the Supreme Court bench.
As stated by Attorney General Dr Tony Buti:
"I congratulate Judge Troy Sweeney on her appointment as a Justice of the WA Supreme Court.
"Her Honour's experience in criminal law spans more than 35 years, during which she has served with distinction across a multitude of complex matters both as a counsel and a Judge.
"She began her counsel days at the Crown Solicitor's Office and was fast-tracked to criminal jury trials, before joining the ODPP at its inception in 1992 under the Hon. John McKechnie AO KC.
"Judge Sweeney's career at the ODPP saw her rise in the ranks to the positions of Senior State Prosecutor and Consultant State Prosecutor.
"As a District Court Judge for the past 19 years, her Honour mainly presided over criminal jury trials, and sentencing, making her eminently suitable to manage cases in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. I wish her well.
"I also take this opportunity to thank Justice Paul Tottle for his distinguished service as a Supreme Court Judge over the past 10 years."
