The Supreme Court has this week released a judgment that not only raises issues for the Crown’s settlement negotiations with Hauraki, but it also marks a shift in how the Court sees its relationship with Parliament.
Read MoreSupreme Court
Why can’t we all just get along?
Overlapping claims in Treaty settlements have been before the Supreme Court and raised on Parliament’s lawn this week. Here’s a quick explainer as to why these can be such difficult issues.
Read MoreWord spread because word will spread
If you know something about a case that a court has suppressed, when can you safely tell another person about it? According the the Supreme Court, it all depends.
Read MoreAll things in moderation, including even Trump, Brexit & judges
Just because Donald Trump is a shoot from the hip president, doesn't mean we should fall into the same trap
Read MoreKicking the can down the road
Why is the Crown fighting a court case it knows it is very unlikely to win? Because doing so stops it from having to face cases it really would prefer not to deal with.
[Update: see important revisory note at post's end!]
Read MoreQuick - to the validating machine!
The Department of Corrections was doing what the courts told it was the law. The courts were wrong about that, so now the Department of Corrections owes prisoners compensation. That's exactly how our law is supposed to work.
Read MoreMr Big strikes again ...
Tawera Wichman was caught using a "Mr Big" undercover trap. The Supreme Court (narrowly) said that this was OK - but that there are still problems with how the Police can mount such operations. And now I can tell you all this freely and openly.
Read MoreMr Wilson's adventures in legal wonderland
Why turn to fiction for mind-bending exercises in logical absurdity? The real world of the courts provide much stranger fare.
Read MoreDixon v R: An easy case that raises hard questions
There's a legal saying that hard cases make bad law. But sometimes the opposite can be true - an apparently easy case can lead a Court into some pretty swampy terrain.
Read MoreIs Parliament about to drop our commitment to the Rule of Law?
Parliament seems about to drop New Zealand's commitment to the rule of law from the Act underpinning the judicial branch. Retiring Supreme Court judge (and former Solicitor-General) John McGrath thinks that's worrying. He's right. There's still time to lobby the Minister of Justice.
Read MoreFighting the last war
Jock Anderson still just can't get over the fact that "leftie protestors" are allowed to burn flags as a form of protest. And it's all because of those meddling judges ... .
Read MoreImagine a country so blue, backwards it's adanaC
Canada's Conservative Government is in the middle of trying to change its election rules to benefit itself - while its PM Stephen Harper has become the thing he once most hated.
Read MoreThe Parliamentary Privilege Bill: the empire finally strikes back
Parliament is planning to pass a law saying how much freedom its members (and others involved in its proceedings) have from legal liability. What's more, it's telling the courts that they've stuffed that issue up.
Read MoreArise, Sir Douglas
What defines a man's life? Is it the titles he holds, the wealth he accumulates or some other symbol of status that his contemporaries hold in high esteem? And how do we decide if those symbols of status are still deserved?
Read MoreThe Mighty River Battle is on again
The Government can sell 49 percent of its shares in Might River Power – but it’s got another battle to fight before it can guarantee the river flows that spin the turbines and generate value for its power generator share buyers, consumers, and taxpayers.
Read MoreThe Partial State Asset Sale poem
An ode inspired by National's mixed ownership programme, to the tune of 'Five Little Monkeys"... And a few thoughts about the sales and the Supreme Court
Read MoreStandin' on the corner, waitin' for a bus
Two big legal issues in the one day! Lucky I'm on top of my game ...
Read MoreSusan Couch's deserved victory
I didn't think Susan Couch would win her battle in court. I'm very glad she hasn't had to.
Read MoreOn privilege, absolute or qualified
The House of Representatives' Privileges Committee is considering whether or not public servants should be given free reign to defame completely innocent individuals to their Ministers. Well, that's an exaggeration ... but read on anyway.
Read MoreObama on the right side of history - straight and gay
Obama's evolution on the rights of gays to marry has taken him to the only tenable place...the place others went not so long ago to bring to an end the crime of marrying someone of another race. Welcome to the 21st Century.
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