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Elizabeth Ryan and Imad Abdul-Karim have been named as new judges of the NSW District Court.

Ryan has been a Magistrate since 2009 and a Deputy State Coroner since 2017. Abdul-Karim was appointed to the NSW Local Court in 2017 and was the coordinating magistrate at Liverpool, before taking on the same role at Sutherland earlier this year. 

In her time at the NSW Coroner’s Court, Ryan presided over a number of high-profile inquests, including the disappearance of Melissa Caddick and the death of Roger Rogerson. 

She previously worked at the Downing Centre, Penrith and Parramatta, as well as the Children’s Court. Ryan earlier held a leadership role in the field of tax and economic crime, at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. 

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Magistrate Elizabeth Ryan will become a Judge of the District Court of NSW. (Supplied: NSW Department of Communities and Justice)

Before joining the bench, Abdul-Karim was Principal Federal Prosecutor at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Last year, he was the subject of a profile story by the Journal called The Irreducible Imad. 

Arriving in Australia as a refugee from Lebanon at the age of 15, he later studied science at university but switched to law. He spoke candidly about the hurdles he faced during the early stages of his legal career. 

“Can you imagine a person with the name Imad Abdul-Karim in the 1990s, graduating from a law school with no track record, with no exceptional marks – but what I call a slightly above average credit – sending job application after job application?”

“Sometimes, you get a rejection letter; other times, you don’t hear back. But you have to try,” he said. 

Abdul-Karim worked at the Crown Solicitor’s Office and later the CDPP, where he took on a series of terrorism cases, among other complex matters. 

Attorney General Michael Daley says both appointments are a well-deserved testament to their skill and dedication. 

“I am thrilled to announce the appointments of Magistrates Elizabeth Ryan and Imad Abdul-Karim to the District Court. 

“These appointments … send a clear message to all magistrates that their work on the Local Court is valued…” 

Both will be sworn in as District Court Judges on 17 March.