Editing Polyukhovich v Commonwealth (section)

{{Short description|Judgement of the High Court of Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox court case |
name=Polyukhovich v Commonwealth |
court=[[High Court of Australia]] |
image=Coat of Arms of Australia.svg |
date decided=14 August 1992 |
full name= Polyukhovich v The Commonwealth of Australia and Another |
citations=(1991) 172 CLR 501; <br>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1991/32.html &#91;1991&#93; HCA 32]. |
judges=[[Anthony Mason (judge)|Mason]] CJ, [[Gerard Brennan|Brennan]], [[William Deane|Deane]], [[Daryl Dawson|Dawson]], [[John Toohey (judge)|Toohey]], [[Mary Gaudron|Gaudron]] and [[Michael McHugh (judge)|McHugh]] JJ |
prior actions=''Polyukhovich v Commonwealth'' (1991) 172 CLR 501|
opinions=
'''(6:1)''' Section 9 of the ''War Crimes Act 1945'' (Cth) was valid as a law with respect to external affairs.<small> (per Mason CJ, Deane, Dawson, Toohey, Gaudron & McHugh JJ; Brennan J dissenting)</small>

'''(4:2)''' The statute did not invalidly usurp the judicial power of the Commonwealth. <small> (per Mason CJ, Dawson, Toohey & McHugh JJ; Deane & Gaudron JJ dissenting; Brennan J not deciding)</small>}}

'''''Polyukhovich v Commonwealth''''' (1991) 172 [[Commonwealth Law Reports|CLR]] 501; [1991] HCA 32, commonly referred to as the '''''War Crimes Act Case''''', was a significant case decided in the [[High Court of Australia]] regarding the scope of the external affairs power in [[section 51(xxix) of the Constitution of Australia|section 51(xxix) of the Constitution]] and the judicial power of the [[The Commonwealth of Australia|Commonwealth]].