Victoria's top prosecutor Kerri Judd will swap the bar table for the bench in her new role as a justice of the state's Supreme Court.
The appointment was announced on Tuesday, with the Office of Public Prosecutions confirming she had stepped down from her role as director.
Justice Judd will initially preside over the common law division, the Supreme Court confirmed.
She became Victoria's first female Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 2018 after spending close to 30 years working at the Victorian Bar and as a crown prosecutor.
She led a series of high profile prosecutions, including those against Cardinal George Pell and Bourke Street killer James Gargasoulas.
Justice Judd also appeared for the state in inquiries and royal commissions and conducted law reform reviews on behalf of the Victorian government.
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes congratulated Justice Judd, saying she had proudly served the Victorian community as a prosecutor.
Brendan Kissane KC will take over as DPP after serving as the Chief Crown Prosecutor since 2018.
Before moving into prosecutions, he practised in criminal law, was a member of the Refugee Review Tribunal and served as a director on the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council.
Diana Piekusis KC has been appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor in Mr Kissane's place.
Justice Judd's elevation to the Supreme Court follows the resignation of Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth, who spent more than 20 years on the bench.
It also comes after Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry retired in February.
He stepped down from the role after Justice Judd lodged a complaint against him over a ruling connected to the 2020 Eastern Freeway crash that killed four police officers.
Trucking boss Simiona Tuteru was originally charged with manslaughter after he allowed a truck driver to get behind the wheel while high on drugs and tired before the crash.
But prosecutors withdrew those charges six days before Tuteru's trial, in favour of heavy vehicle offences.
Justice Lasry said the court processes had been used oppressively and unfairly by Justice Judd and decided to permanently stay the case.
Justice Judd successfully challenged his position in the Court of Appeal, with three judges overturning his ruling in August 2023.
She lodged a complaint to the judicial commission but it was dismissed because Mr Lasry had retired and was no longer a judicial officer.
