Judge Mazza will commence his appointment next month, and sit in the General Division of the Court after leaving his post of six years as a Judge of the District Court of WA.

Attorney General Christian Porter said Judge Mazza would bring a wealth of experience to the role, particularly in the areas of civil litigation and criminal law.

“Judge Mazza is a highly regarded and most capable judge, who is greatly respected among his peers,” Porter said.

Mazza obtained a law degree from The University of Western Australia before being admitted to practice in 1981.

He worked in private practice for the first 16 years of his career, including establishing the firm Mazza & Mazza with his late father in 1997.

After 1997, he practised almost exclusively as a criminal lawyer, predominantly for the defence, but undertook a number of prosecutions on behalf of the State.

Judge Mazza also appeared as counsel in matters before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, the Dental Board, the Racing Appeals Tribunal and the Migration Review Tribunal.

He also represented individuals at hearings before the National Crime Authority, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Police Royal Commission.

At the time of his appointment to the District Court in 2004 he was a deputy president of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal.

He has also served on a number of Law Society committees and has been actively involved in promoting greater understanding of the needs of people with intellectual disabilities when charged with criminal offences.

“Judge Mazza is perfectly suited as a Judge of the Supreme Court and more than capable of the challenges the new role will bring. I congratulate him on his appointment,” the Attorney General said.