District Court Judge Penelope Wass has been instructed to step aside from criminal matters following a dispute with the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed after it became known that Wass had exchanged undisclosed text messages with lawyers involved in proceedings. The conflict between the judge and the top prosecutor led to her disqualification.

The matter has attracted notice in Sydney legal circles as an unusual public clash between a bench member and the state prosecution authority. The dispute was characterised as a sharp disagreement before the top prosecutor secured the ruling.