A conservative legal group aiming to emulate the Federalist Society in the US has been quietly building a presence on Australian university campuses over the past year.
But the Samuel Griffith Society (SGS) hit a speed bump this week when one of its student leaders resigned in protest over the invitation extended to former High Court judge Dyson Heydon — who was found to have sexually harassed six associates — to speak at the society’s next conference in August.
Law student Angus Murray wrote on LinkedIn that he and other members of the Australian National University (ANU) chapter were disbanding the group over what he described as an “obscene” move.
But SGS executive director Xavier Boffa, who has led the organisation since 2020, told Capital Brief the ANU chapter would survive, with other executive members stepping in to continue its work.
