Our Court of Appeal thinks that China's criminal justice system is so unsafe that it simply cannot try cases fairly - and our government ministers can't really trust China's promises that it will do better.
Read MoreCourt of Appeal
"We have been here before"
You probably want to read about Andrew Little and Jacinda Ardern. But I want to talk about what our recently very busy Court of Appeal has been up to.
Read MoreArthur Taylor wins again ...
... or, rather, the fellow prisoners who joined his application to have the legislative ban on prisoners voting declared inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act win again.
Read MorePolitics ... coming soon to a screen near you
The Court of Appeal's decision on the Planet Key's legal status means that we are likely to see and hear a lot more political advertising. And it also renders the Government's just announced reforms of party political broadcasts completely out of date.
Read MoreLa Trahison des Clercs
When academics venture into the media to inform the public about their discipline, they have a basic obligation to be accurate in what they say. I'm afraid that Prof. Chris Gallavin has fallen short of this standard.
Read MoreIt ain't over 'till it's over
A couple of recent cases show that being right about the law isn't enough - you also need to get the courts to do what you want. Because if you can't, you may even end up worse off than when you started.
Read MoreIf you want people to believe you are honest, then it's best not to file false donation returns
John Banks should have been declared innocent by the Court of Appeal in November last year. But that doesn't mean he should not have been before the courts at all.
Read MoreThere's none so deaf as they that will not hear
The saga of family carers for the severely disabled is still being written, despite Parliament's attempts to put a full stop on it. It makes for a really interesting constitutional tale.
Read MoreJohn Banks isn't (yet) innocent
Or, rather, he hasn't (yet) been found not-guilty of filing a false election return. That probably will happen later.
Read MoreDebts and lies are generally mixed together
Fighting for your convictions is all well and good. Getting other people to pay for it isn't.
Read MoreBarlow: an appeal for justice
It’s too early to say whether the Privy Council’s Barlow decision marks a tectonic shift in the law governing criminal appeals—or a minor refinement—but it does offer much-needed reassurance about appellate courts’ willingness to do justice
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