Mr Justice Keane became a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal in 2023.
Mr Justice Keane was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1952. He was educated at the University of Queensland and Magdalen College, Oxford. At the University of Queensland, he obtained a BA in 1973, an LLB with 1st class honours and the University Medal in Law in 1976. At Oxford, in 1977, he obtained a BCL with 1st class honours and was awarded the Vinerian Scholarship and the JHC Morris Prize for Conflicts of Laws.
Mr Justice Keane was admitted to practise as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1976, and as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1977. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1988. He practised mainly in commercial law, equity and constitutional law. In 1992, he was appointed Solicitor-General for Queensland, a position in which he served until 2005. In that position he continued to practise concurrently at the private bar. In 2003, he was awarded a Centenary Medal in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession.
In 2005, Mr Justice Keane was appointed to the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland. In 2010, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. In March 2013, he was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia from which he retired in October 2022 upon reaching the constitutional age of retirement.
Mr Justice Keane was Deputy-Chairman of the Queensland Law Reform Commission from 1990 until 1992. He served as a member of the Supreme Court Library Committee from 1989 until 2005. In 2006, he became a member of the Council of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, and was its President in 2010. He has lectured regularly to academic and legal audiences on legal topics. In 2011, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa by the University of Queensland.
Mr Justice Keane was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2015.