The Roma Supreme and District Court list sets out every matter scheduled to be heard before the Supreme Court of Queensland and the District Court of Queensland at the Roma Courthouse, located at 141 McDowall Street, Roma QLD 4455. Sitting at the heart of the Maranoa Region in South West Queensland, this courthouse is one of the state's long-standing regional superior court venues, and checking the daily law list is the fastest way for parties, legal practitioners, witnesses, jurors and members of the public to confirm when and where a case will be called. Because both higher courts share the same building and registry, a single daily list covers criminal trials, sentences, civil hearings, applications and callovers, making it essential to read the list carefully before travelling to court.
Roma is the administrative centre of the Maranoa Region, which spans roughly 58,705 square kilometres and recorded a population of about 12,825 at the 2021 Census, while the township of Roma itself was home to approximately 6,838 residents. The town sits around 479 kilometres west-north-west of Brisbane and about 351 kilometres from Toowoomba, so the local courthouse plays an outsized role in servicing a widely dispersed rural community. For anyone living across the Maranoa and neighbouring shires, the Roma court circuit removes the need to travel hundreds of kilometres to Brisbane for many serious matters that would otherwise be heard in the capital.
What the Roma Supreme and District Court list shows
The daily list is a structured schedule that typically identifies the presiding judge, the courtroom, the start time, the party or defendant names, the file number and the type of hearing. Entries are usually grouped by the nature of the proceeding, so you may see separate sections for criminal trials, sentence hearings, civil trials, applications, mentions and callovers. Reading each field closely matters, because a matter listed for a 10.00am mention is very different from one set down for a multi-day trial, and courtrooms can change at short notice when a judge reallocates the day's business.
Court lists are dynamic documents. Matters are added, adjourned, brought forward or vacated as circumstances change, so the version published the afternoon before a sitting day can differ from the position at 9.00am. Practitioners generally advise checking the most recent list on the morning of the hearing and again shortly before the matter is expected to be called. If you cannot locate a case, it may have been transferred to another sitting date, resolved by a plea, or listed under a slightly different party name or file reference.
Supreme Court matters heard at Roma
The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the state and hears the most serious indictable offences, including murder, manslaughter and large-scale drug trafficking, alongside an unlimited civil jurisdiction that generally covers claims above $750,000. When the Supreme Court sits on circuit at Roma, criminal trials and sentences are the most common items on the list, often involving a jury empanelled from the local district. To put the wider workload in perspective, the Supreme Court of Queensland Annual Report 2023-2024 recorded 1,604 lodgements in the criminal jurisdiction and 3,526 civil lodgements across the state, with the Court of Appeal disposing of 274 criminal appeals during the same period.
District Court matters heard at Roma
The District Court of Queensland is the intermediate court and carries much of the everyday superior court workload in regional centres. It deals with serious indictable offences such as armed robbery, sexual assault, grievous bodily harm and significant fraud, and it can impose sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment for many offences. Its civil jurisdiction generally covers claims between $150,000 and $750,000. The District Court remains, in the words of its own leadership, one of the largest and busiest higher courts in Australia. The District Court of Queensland Annual Report 2024-2025 reported 6,373 criminal lodgements statewide, with 630 trials commenced at an average trial duration of about 3.6 days, and 3,928 civil lodgements. In an earlier reporting year the court noted that, had its civil monetary limit tracked inflation since 2008, the ceiling would likely now exceed $1,000,000.
A courthouse with more than 140 years of history
Roma has held a place in Queensland's court system since the colony's early decades. The first sitting of the Western District Court took place on 19 February 1866, presided over by Judge Blakeney, and as the town's population grew the government established the Roma Circuit District of the Supreme Court in 1883, with its first sitting held on 9 July that year. Additional rooms were added to the earlier courthouse in 1884 to accommodate the arrival of the Supreme Court. The present courthouse, a rendered masonry building constructed in 1901 in the Federation free style, remains in active use today and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 August 1998 under the official name "Roma Court House and Police Buildings". Few regional courthouses in Australia combine this depth of legal heritage with a continuing operational role.
Location, contact details and facilities
The Roma Courthouse is centrally located and houses the Supreme, District and Magistrates jurisdictions under one roof, along with the local registry. Key details for court users include:
- Address: 141 McDowall Street, PO Box 245, Roma QLD 4455
- Phone: (07) 4578 8800
- Email: courthouse.roma@justice.qld.gov.au
- Business hours: 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Thursday, and 8.30am to 4.00pm Friday
- Facilities: videoconferencing and a remote witness room, which support vulnerable witnesses and reduce the need for some participants to attend in person
The courthouse also hosts a Justice of the Peace in the Community service on certain weekdays, so residents needing documents witnessed can often be assisted on site. If your matter is a summary criminal charge or a lower-level civil dispute rather than a trial on indictment, it will usually be listed before the magistrate, and you can check the Roma Magistrates Court list for those proceedings.
Why the Roma circuit matters for South West Queensland
Circuit sittings are the backbone of access to justice in rural Queensland. Rather than requiring every serious matter to be heard in Brisbane, judges of the Supreme and District Courts travel to regional centres on scheduled circuits, bringing the higher courts to the communities they serve. Roma has functioned as a circuit town since the nineteenth century, and by 1900 the Metropolitan District judge was already undertaking circuit duty at centres including Roma, St George, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Dalby, Warwick and Goondiwindi. That geographic reach still shapes the modern list, because defendants, complainants and witnesses drawn from surrounding towns such as Mitchell, Wallumbilla, Injune and St George are frequently connected to matters called at Roma.
For legal practitioners covering the region, monitoring several nearby circuits at once is common practice. Matters can shift between venues depending on judicial availability and case complexity, and firms with clients across the Maranoa often track the Charleville Supreme and District Court and the Dalby Supreme and District Court alongside Roma to plan travel and appearances efficiently. Consolidated access to these regional lists saves considerable time compared with checking each venue separately.
How to prepare before your court date
Preparation reduces stress and avoids costly missteps. A few practical steps make a significant difference:
- Confirm the correct sitting date and courtroom on the most current list, ideally on the morning of the hearing.
- Allow extra travel time, as many parties drive long distances across South West Queensland to reach Roma.
- Arrive early to clear any security screening and to locate your courtroom before the day's list is called.
- Bring identification, any documents relevant to your matter and, where applicable, the contact details of your legal representative.
- If you are a witness or juror, follow any specific attendance time stated for your matter rather than assuming a standard start.
For a broader view of how Roma fits within the state system, and to compare workloads and jurisdictions across every tier, the statewide overview of Queensland court listings provides useful context on the Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts and the way circuit sittings are distributed.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Roma Supreme and District Court located?
The court sits at the Roma Courthouse, 141 McDowall Street, Roma QLD 4455, in the Maranoa Region of South West Queensland. The Supreme, District and Magistrates jurisdictions all operate from this heritage-listed building, which has been in continuous use since it was constructed in 1901.
How often does the Supreme or District Court sit at Roma?
Both higher courts sit at Roma on circuit rather than every day, meaning judges travel to the town for scheduled sitting periods. The exact dates vary throughout the year, so checking the current daily list is the most reliable way to confirm whether the Supreme Court or District Court is sitting and which matters are listed.
What types of cases are heard in the Roma District Court?
The District Court hears serious indictable criminal offences such as armed robbery, sexual assault, grievous bodily harm and serious fraud, and it exercises civil jurisdiction generally for claims between $150,000 and $750,000. It can impose sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment for many offences.
What is the difference between the Supreme Court and the District Court at Roma?
The Supreme Court is the highest court in Queensland and handles the most serious matters, including murder and manslaughter, with unlimited civil jurisdiction generally above $750,000. The District Court is the intermediate court, dealing with serious but less exceptional indictable offences and mid-range civil claims. Both may be listed at Roma during circuit sittings.
Can I attend a hearing at the Roma Courthouse in person?
Most court hearings are open to the public, and members of the community can generally attend to observe proceedings, subject to any suppression orders or closed-court directions. The courthouse also offers videoconferencing and a remote witness room, which can allow certain participants to appear without being physically present.
How do I find out if my matter has been adjourned or moved?
Because court lists change frequently, a matter may be adjourned, brought forward or transferred to another sitting date. The most current daily list is the best first check, and if you still cannot locate your case you can contact the Roma registry on (07) 4578 8800 or by email at courthouse.roma@justice.qld.gov.au during business hours.