In 2017 Ian Freckelton was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nauru and sworn in the President of Nauru.

As of 2021 Justice Freckelton continues in the role.

Nauru’s Supreme Court is the superior court of the Republic of Nauru. It was established by Part V of the Nauruan Constitution upon Nauru obtaining independence in 1968. It has five justices who are appointed by the President: two of the justices are currently from Australia. The Supreme Court has original and appellate jurisdiction. Appeals from the Nauru Supreme Court went to the Australian High Court until March 2018. In May 2018 Nauru established a Court of Appeal.

The Honourable Justice Freckelton sits principally on administrative law cases, especially on appeals from the Nauru Refugee Review Status Tribunal which was established after Nauru acceded in 2011 to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

The decisions of the Nauru Supreme Court are reported on http://www.paclii.org/nr/cases/NRSC/

Justice Freckelton’s judicial appointment in Nauru is part-time and extra-territorial – on a fly-in fly-out basis, permitting him to continue his practice as a Queen’s Counsel in Australia.

Judgments delivered by Justice Freckelton include:

• • CRI 041 v Republic [2018] NRSC 7; Refugee Appeal Case 42 and 43 of 2016: Appeal – refugee status – adjournment – rescheduling – competence to participate in a hearing – procedural fairness – legal unreasonableness

• • TTY 155 v Republic [2018] NRSC 8; Refugee Appeal Case 31 of 2017: Appeal – natural justice – legal unreasonableness

• • OPK 023 v Republic [2018] NRSC 9; Refugee Appeal Case 25 of 2016: Appeal – inconsistencies in evidence – credibility findings

• • QLN 142 v Republic [2018] NRSC 10; Refugee Appeal Case 22 of 2016: Appeal – refugee – cessation clause – procedural fairness – error of law

• • HFM 038 v Republic [2018] NRSC 11; Refugee Appeal Case 17 of 2017: Appeal – refugee status – inquisitorial proceedings – duty to make inquiries

• • SOS 005 v Republic [2018] NRSC 12; Refugee Appeal Case 15 of 2017: Appeal – procedural fairness – natural justice – s 41 of the Refugees Convention Act 2012 (Nr)

• • DWN 008 v Republic [2018] NRSC 13; Refugee Appeal Case 12 of 2017: Appeal – findings contrary to evidence – findings in the absence of supportive evidence – failure to refer to evidence – sexual assault of wife

• • QLN 065 v Republic [2018] NRSC 14; Refugee Appeal Case 6 and 7 of 2017: Appeal – Convention on the Rights of the Child – complementary protection – best interests of the child – derivative status – failure to order a medical report – mental health of child

• • VEA 026 v Republic [2018] NRSC 19; Refugee Appeal 2 of 2018: Appeal – natural justice – apprehension of bias – waiver – reconstitution of Tribunal – doctrine of necessity

• • DWN 046 v Republic [2018] NRSC 20; Refugee Appeal 12 of 2016: Appeal – weight of Appellant’s evidence – country information – credibility assessment – role of Tribunal – internal relocation principles

• • WET 054 v Republic [2018] NRSC 21; Refugee Appeal 15 of 2016: Appeal – findings in the absence of any supporting evidence – irrationality or illogically in Tribunal findings – reasoning of the Tribunal

• • SOS 011 v Republic [2018] NRSC 22; Refugee Appeal 30 of 2017: Appeal – natural justice – procedural fairness – apprehension of bias – waiver – reconstitution of Tribunal – doctrine of necessity

• • QLN 107 v Republic [2018] NRSC 23; Refugee Appeal 38 of 2016: Appeal – findings contrary to evidence – findings in the absence of supportive evidence – failure to refer to evidence – sexual assault of wife

• • HFM 005 v Republic [2018] NRSC 24; Refugee Appeal 45 & 46 of 2016: Appeal – Convention on the Rights of the Child – complementary protection – best interests of the child – derivative status – failure to order a medical report – mental health of child

• • QLN 139 v Republic [2018] NRSC 50; Case 23 of 2016: Appeal – failure to take into account a relevant consideration – Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – complementary protection in dealing with CERD claims

• • DWN 080 v Republic [2018] NRSC 49; Case 14 of 2015: Asylum seeker – refugee – medical examination – detention fatigue – capacity to participate in hearing – powers of inquiry – reasonableness of Tribunal decision

• • TTY 073 v Republic [2018] NRSC 53; Case 19 of 2017 : identification of dispositive issues to the Appellant – failure to evaluate evidence and country information

• • REF 001 v Republic [2018] NRSC 54; Case 20 of 2017: failure to put credible, relevant and significant information to Appellant – failure to consider evidence – failure to consider all the Appellant’s claims – complementary protection – Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

• • PMI 061 v Republic [2018] NRSC 56; Case 29 of 2017 (14 December 2018): failure to put country information to Appellant – breach of procedural fairness obligations – failure to put Appellant on notice of the issues in the proceeding

• • PMI 061 v Republic [2018] NRSC 56; Case 29 of 2017: failure to consider evidence – irrational or unreasonable fact-finding – inadequate reasons under s 34(4) of the Act

• • DWN 034 v Republic [2018] NRSC 57; Case 32 of 2017: natural justice – failure to arrange a medical examination – s 24(1)(d) , s22 and s40 of the  Refugees Convention Act 2012 (Nr)
  • CRI020 v Republic [2021] NRSC: reasoning of Tribunal – irrationality – illogicality -unreasonableness
  • ETA082 v Republic [2021] NRS: reasoning of Tribunal – misunderstanding of evidence – failure to provide reasons

Justice Freckelton’s Associate between 2017 and 2019 was Esther Pearson.