Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Judging the judges

Ian Dalziel

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 07:41:45 +1300

Deeming someone to be mentally ill is a technique used by the system to maintain the appearance of lawful process.
Bank Money-Laundering Whistleblower Committed To High-Security Mental Hospital 7 Yrs Ago ... Turns Out He Was Telling The Truth
(H/T to What Really Happened )

Arnaud Wylie

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 23:37:20 +1300

Judges are empowered to sit in judgement on all of us

All of us, meaning all persons. Their jurisdiction is not universal, regardless of the convictions of the faithful.

fury12

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:58:59 +1300

I recall reading a speech titled ' Judges and Free Speech in New Zealand' by the Hon Grant Hammond.

The Editor, Jenni McManus, prefaced the „results‟ of The Independent’s 2009 repeat survey with her observations that:

Judges are empowered to sit in judgement on all of us. But who judges…

Hilary Stace

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:03:47 +1300

Former MP Darren Hughes is now involved with the Electoral Reform Society in the UK and has been talking about ER on the BBC and in other media. They have been warning against how flawed the new elections for the police commissioners were. The turnout was the lowest ever and…

Arnaud Wylie

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 05:24:36 +1300

Deeming someone to be mentally ill is a technique used by the system to maintain the appearance of lawful process.

There is case law for the issue of registration of vehicles which show that while ordinary use of a public resource is a right, commercial use is not a right…

Arnaud Wylie

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 05:11:29 +1300

It's about Judge Richard Russell's admission of fraud from a September 2011 hearing in Nelson. The topic can be confusing because of the ambiguity of legalese and the legal fictions that are employed in the civil process. It's more of a constitutional issue than a case of a rogue judge.

Kumara Republic

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:57:53 +1300

I was deeply, deeply disturbed to see a former schoolmate comment on FB the other day that he was off to elect Birmingham’s (I think) first mayor. And the Police Commissioner. Electing anyone into the criminal justice food chain gives me all kinds of discomfort.

What possibility of an EDL/BNP/NF/UKIP…

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:54:40 +1300

The other problem is that it's not uncommon for the mentally ill to use the courts as a venue.

Typically it starts with losing a custody case and progresses to endless vexatious litigation, often conducted in Latin and involving unusual legal concepts – for instance: refusing to register ones car…

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:02:10 +1300

Sorry, you what? That page is incomprehensible nonsense.

Arnaud Wylie

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:55:31 +1300

Or should we be worried about the pressure on judges – who, after all, are required to follow the sentencing guidelines they are given?

Is the purpose if the requirements to serve justice or to serve democracy?

When a judge openly commits fraud due to the "rules", then does that…

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:10:56 +1300

We’re thankful not to have that kind of society, no matter how strong the temptation.

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:06:53 +1300

All the more reason to have them on! Although, to be fair to Russell, I think he has.

He has.

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:06:16 +1300

I would suggest some politicians are remarkably (and unwisely) intemperate in their attacks on the judiciary

They can be, yes, though they tend to be intemperate about The Judiciary rather than specific jurists and judgements. Not all, and not all the time, but much more so than is the inclination…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:38:01 +1300

Politicians do tend to be somewhat more moderate in their public discourse regarding specific sentencing instances

I would respond to that with "up to a point, Lord Copper". I would suggest some politicians are remarkably (and unwisely) intemperate in their attacks on the judiciary, but I guess it's always an…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:15:20 +1300

Probably more that we already know what their contribution will be: “Judges need to be accountable to the public for their decisions, and judges whose decisions piss us off need to be at risk of losing their jobs.” And that contribution is not helpful.
Or even political murder. We're thankful…

Dave Patrick

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:57:44 +1300

Do you assume an SST representative would not add to the conversation in some way?
I think they would add to the conversation, but not in a way that would be overly constructive

Graeme Edgeler

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:53:32 +1300

I imagine one of the things Russell will be asking about is the level of coverage their opinions get in the MSM.

All the more reason to have them on! Although, to be fair to Russell, I think he has.

we already know what their contribution will be: “Judges need…

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:05:16 +1300

Do you assume an SST representative would not add to the conversation in some way?

Probably more that we already know what their contribution will be: “Judges need to be accountable to the public for their decisions, and judges whose decisions piss us off need to be at risk of…

Graeme Edgeler

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:56:59 +1300

No Sensible Sentencing Trust representative then?
*verylargesafetywink*

Do you assume an SST representative would not add to the conversation in some way?

Dave Patrick

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:52:53 +1300

No Sensible Sentencing Trust representative then? *verylargesafetywink*

Raymond A Francis

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:19:14 +1300

It is the easiest thing in the world to criticise Judges and just as easy to find a lawyer to agree because for every judgement there is a lawyer who lost

The great thing with our system is that if/when a Judge gets it wrong we have a system of…

Matthew Poole

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:34:33 +1300

When judges express even the mildest criticism of media reporting it’s an unacceptable assault on press freedom etc.

Or when judges dare to question the direction of penal policy. Politicians do tend to be somewhat more moderate in their public discourse regarding specific sentencing instances, but the strict sentencing laws…

Rickai

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:20:17 +1300

When Tony Molloy said judges were self-important he was spot on. Maybe it's a result of the massive pay cut most take when they join the bench. This also from the man who had these words to say about the profession as he closed his attack on Russell McVeagh in…

Grant McDougall

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:34:46 +1300

I'd love to see the NBR do a story on judges as they did in about 1994. They anonymously interviewed several experienced lawyers about all 30 or so high court judges and asked their opinions on them.

The lawyers sure didn't hold back. Most judges were criticised, several very, very…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:07:30 +1300

Should we be careful what we wish for when the independence of judges is challenged?

Yes, we really should. And isn't it ironic how it never seems to be a two way street: When judges express even the mildest criticism of media reporting it's an unacceptable assault on press freedom…

Public Address

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:07:30 +1300

Discussion from blog post.