Editing Michael Kirby (judge) (section)

==Public life==
Michael Kirby was among the founders<ref>{{cite speech| title = Recollections of Sir Harry Gibbs| author = Michael Kirby| date = 27 May 2006| location = [[Canberra]]| url = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_27may06.pdf| access-date = 14 October 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918100656/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_27may06.pdf| archive-date = 18 September 2006}}</ref> of [[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]], an organisation which played a prominent part in the [[1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 republic referendum]].

Kirby has a reputation as an eloquent and powerful orator, having given a vast number of speeches over his career on a diverse range of topics.<ref>[http://www.hcourt.gov.au/publications_05.html High Court of Australia – Publications – Speeches<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The annual Michael Kirby Lecture and Dinner has been conducted by the Faculty of Law and Justice, Southern Cross University, since 2007.<ref>"School of Law and Justice Annual Michael Kirby Lecture Series" < http://scu.edu.au/law-justice/index.php/57 ></ref>

Kirby is a fellow of the [[Hastings Center]], an independent bioethics research institution in the United States. In 2006, he was elected an Honorary Bencher of the [[Inner Temple]] in London. In the same year, the [[Australian Academy of the Humanities]] elected him an Honorary Fellow.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fellows|url=https://www.humanities.org.au/fellows/fellows/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=Australian Academy of the Humanities}}</ref>

In July 2009, Kirby accepted a position as adjunct professor in law at the University of Tasmania Faculty of Law. He is also the (founding) Chairman of the Editorial Board of the ''[http://www.jlisjournal.org Journal of Law, Information & Science]'', which is published by that faculty; a position he has held since 1981.<ref>See "Contributions to the JLIS by Hon. Prof Michael Krby AC CMG." < http://www.jlisjournal.org/briefs/kirbypapers.html ></ref>

Since 2010, Kirby has been one of the 11 members of the Eminent Persons Group set up to advise on reform of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/228488/228492/whos_in_the_epg/ |title=Who's in the EPG? |author=Commonwealth (of Nations) Secretariat |year=2011 |access-date=28 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522091357/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/228488/228492/whos_in_the_epg/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 }}</ref>

In 2011, Kirby, suggested that "There is nothing so powerful in the world as an idea whose time has come, and animal protection is just such an idea", becoming a patron of [[Voiceless (animal rights group)|Voiceless]], an animal protection institute.<ref>{{cite web|title=Voiceless, the animal protection institute|url=https://www.voiceless.org.au/who-we-are/michael-kirby}}</ref>

Kirby is an avid supporter of the arts. He has appeared in the ''University of Queensland Law Revue'' twice since 2004. In May 2007, he appeared in Melbourne alongside hip-hop impresario [[Elf Tranzporter]] at the launch of Victorian Arts Law Week, performing a rap of [[W. B. Yeats]]'s poetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/judge-jerry-gives-artists-the-word/2007/05/07/1178390232082.html|title='Judge Jerry' gives artists the word|first=Kenneth|last=Nguyen|date=8 May 2007|work=The Age}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/05/performances_top_judge_beats_r.html|title=Performances: Top judge beats rap|date=8 May 2007|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043321/http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/05/performances_top_judge_beats_r.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>