James Joshua EdelmanAC (born 9 January 1974)^[1] has been a justice of theHigh Court of Australia since 30 January 2017, and is a former justice of theFederal Court of Australia and theSupreme Court of Western Australia. He is noted for his various achievements at a young age, including becoming a professor atOxford University before the age of 35 and a justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia before the age of 40.^[2] He was 43 years old upon commencing his appointment on the High Court and is eligible to continue until reaching the constitutionally required retirement age of 70 in 2044.^[3]

Edelman completed high school atScotch College inPerth, Western Australia.^[2] He completed bachelor's degrees in economics (1995) and Law (first class honours, 1996) at theUniversity of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Commerce (1997) atMurdoch University.^[2]

He was awarded aRhodes Scholarship in 1998 and completed a doctorate atMagdalen College, Oxford, in 2001.^[4]

Edelman was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1998 after serving as an associate to JusticeJohn Toohey in theHigh Court of Australia in 1997 and completing an articled clerkship atBlake Dawson Waldron.^[4] He was a member of the Chambers ofMalcolm McCusker QC from 2001 until his appointment as a justice in 2011.^[5]

Edelman was called to the English bar in 2008^[4] and was a member ofOne Essex Court chambers.^[5]

Edelman appeared as junior counsel toMalcolm McCusker on behalf ofAndrew Mallard in Mallard's successful appeal to theHigh Court of Australia.^[6]

Edelman became a tutor atKeble College,Oxford, in 2005.^[7]

Following his appointment to the Supreme Court, Edelman continued to teach as anAdjunct Professor at theUniversity of Queensland and University of Western Australia, as well as holding the honorary position ofConjoint Professor at theUniversity of New South Wales.^[1]

Edelman is also a patron and former editor of theOxford University Commonwealth Law Journal.^[7]

Edelman has been noted as having a "prodigious" record of publications. At the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court, his publications included six books and more than 80 articles, reviews, and notes.^[4]

Edelman was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in April 2011 following the retirement of JusticePeter Blaxell.^[8] He took the oath of office on 22 July 2011.^[4] It was reported that, at the age of 37, Edelman was the youngest person to join the Supreme Court bench.^[8] However, at the welcome ceremony for Edelman, Chief JusticeWayne Martin noted that the reports were incorrect and in fact SirLawrence Jackson was appointed at the age of 36 in 1949.^[4]

In April 2015, Edelman was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia.^[1] He replaced JusticePeter Jacobson, who had retired in January 2015.^[9]

In November 2016, it was announced that Edelman would be appointed as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He commenced the appointment when JusticeSusan Kiefel becameChief Justice of Australia on 30 January 2017.^[10] He is the fourth youngest person to join the Court, afterH. V. Evatt,Sir Edward McTiernan andSir Owen Dixon.^[11]

Edelman was appointed aCompanion of the Order of Australia in the2025 Australia Day Honours.^[12]

Edelman is married and has two children.^[4] Edelman is Jewish.^[13]

• Unjust Enrichment (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. 2016.ISBN 9781782255628. (with Elise Bant)
• Unjust Enrichment in Commercial Law. Lawbook Company. 2008.ISBN 978-0455225043. (with Simone Degeling)
• Cases and Materials on the Law of Restitution (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. 2007.ISBN 978-0199296514. (with Andrew S. Burrows andEwan McKendrick)
• Unjust Enrichment in Australia. Oxford University Press. 2006.ISBN 0195517199. (with Elise Bant)
• Interest Awards in Australia. LexisNexis Butterworths. 2003.ISBN 0409318248. (with Derek Ian Cassidy)
• Gain-Based Damages: Contract, Tort, Equity and Intellectual Property. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2002.ISBN 1847316824.
• Gain-based Awards for Wrongs. University of Oxford. 2001.

• 1974 births
• Living people
• Australian Jews
• Companions of the Order of Australia
• Australian Rhodes Scholars
• Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia
• Judges of the Federal Court of Australia
• Justices of the High Court of Australia
• University of Western Australia alumni
• Murdoch University alumni
• Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Australian English from December 2013
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• Use dmy dates from December 2013