Stephen Kenny (Australian Lawyer)

Stephen Kenny (Australian Lawyer)

Stephen Kenny is an Australian lawyer. He was Guantanamo detainee David Hicks's original lawyer.

Kenny has practiced as a Barrister and Solicitor in Australia for over 25 years. He has always maintained a strong interest in civil liberties and is the past Chairperson of the South Australian Council for Civil Liberties. Throughout his career, Stephen has acted for Indigenous people, including on personal and Native Title Land Claim matters as well as undertaking pro-bono work for migrant families and community groups.

In the 1990s he acted for the Ngarrindjerri People during the Hindmarsh Island Bridge Affair. In January 2002 after reading press reports of the detention of David Hicks at Guantanamo Bay, Kenny offered his services to his Adelaide family. With permission of the family, Kenny commenced legal proceedings in the United States for a Writ of Habeas Corpus against President Bush and the US Military who were detaining David Hicks. That case became known as Rasul v. Bush and resulted in the United States Supreme Court ruling that Guantanamo Bay was within the jurisdiction of the US Courts. This led to a number of other detainees taking action against their detention in US Federal Courts.