District Court Judge Penelope Wass has been instructed to step aside from criminal cases following a disagreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed after it emerged that Wass had sent and received undisclosed text messages with lawyers involved in proceedings. The conflict between the judge and the prosecution head resulted in her disqualification.

The matter has drawn attention in Sydney legal circles as an unusual public clash between a sitting judge and the state prosecution authority. The dispute was characterised as a bitter feud before the top prosecutor won the appeal.