High Court Procedure Act 1903

This Act is the foundational "rulebook" for how Australia's High Court operates on a day-to-day basis.

What it does: The legislation sets out the step-by-step procedures for bringing cases to the nation's highest court, running trials, and appealing decisions. It covers:

• Starting cases: How to commence legal proceedings using formal court documents (called writs of summons), who can sue or be sued (including rules for companies, partnerships, children, and people with mental incapacity), and how to serve legal papers—even on people living overseas.
• Trials: Whether cases are decided by a judge alone (the default) or with a jury, how evidence is presented, and how witnesses are examined.
• Evidence and disclosure: Rules forcing parties to share relevant documents (discovery), how sworn written statements (affidavits) can be used, and when witnesses can be examined outside the courtroom.
• Special writs: Procedures for rare but powerful legal remedies such as habeas corpus (challenging unlawful imprisonment), mandamus (ordering public officials to perform their duties), and prohibition (stopping lower courts from acting beyond their power).
• Appeals: How to challenge decisions made by single High Court judges or State Supreme Courts exercising federal jurisdiction, including time limits and security deposits required.