General
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Wikileaks: the big question
Sunday, December 12th, 2010In all of the controversy about Wikileaks, one central question seems to remain unresolved: how should we pronounce “Assange”? Is it “an” as in “dance” or “blancmange” or “flange”? [Update: these sites suggest that the first is correct]. The main lesson of the Wikileaks saga for me is that we should be skeptical of government assertions that the […]
Pike River privacy breach
Friday, November 26th, 2010My colleague, privacy expert Dr Nicole Moreham, reckons the media are guilty of breach of privacy with their splashy coverage of the victims’ grief-stricken families emerging from the briefing where they were informed of their loved ones’ fate. She has kindly allowed me to cross-post (original source here): There would be few New Zealanders who […]
Double jeopardy?
Friday, October 29th, 2010Is the Law Commission being tasked with a job already farmed out to the Dean of VUW’s law school? The Attorney-General engaged VUW dean Tony Smith to write a paper on our contempt of court laws, including the ways in which they are being affected by the internet. Is it undermining confidence in court orders, […]
MediaBotch
Sunday, September 26th, 2010This week’s MediaWatch show on Radio NZ is billed like this: Mediawatch looks at the impact of the ‘new media’ on the old. Can online amateurs really replace the professional journalism of today? Is it already happening? And if so – what effect is it having on standards? This promised to be interesting – particularly […]
Oh my God
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010Let me add my voice to the flabbergasted reactions of some constitutional experts to the Earthquake Response and Recovery Act. It reads like a far-fetched doom-laden Public Law exam problem. And now it’s law. We’ve just appointed three Ministers as Kings. “Trust us”, they insist. No thanks. I’d rather trust the checks and balances in […]
My star turn
Friday, July 16th, 2010The new TVNZ 7 show “The Court Report”, filmed at VUW law school, debuted yesterday. Criminal barrister Greg King hosts; I’m the roving reporter. Check it out here.
Illegal shepherding
Friday, July 9th, 2010Dear Sea Shepherd anti-whalers: I see that you were happy to lie to the public about banning Peter Bethune from future voyages – as part of your litigation strategy. I’m afraid I now assume that you’d be equally prepared to lie to the public as part of your PR strategy.
The case against Michael Reed
Friday, July 9th, 2010Michael Reed QC, Morning Report on Wednesday: The jury were completely convinced that David hadn’t done it. This betrays either a gob-smacking ignorance of fundamental principles of criminal law, or an intention to mislead the public about the significance of a not-guilty verdict. Fortunately, one of the Bain jurors seems to understand the law better […]
Stormin’ Norman
Monday, June 21st, 2010So police have investigated the incident in which Greens leader Russel Norman claimed to have been assaulted by members of the Chinese delegation who wrenched a Tibetan flag from his grasp on the grounds of Parliament… and concluded that there is “insufficient evidence to substantiate any assault charges at this time”. Police say the “available […]
Siemer wins reduction in sentence for contempt
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010Vince Siemer has reshaped the law of contempt in New Zealand. The Supreme Court has ruled 3-2 that the Bill of Rights right to a jury trial applies to those charged with contempt, since they face potential jail terms of more than 3 months. But since it’s unfeasible to give all contempt respondents jury trials, […]
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