NZBA response to criticism of judge

New Zealand Bar Association President, Stephen Mills QC, has expressed grave concerns about the criticisms made by the Hon. Gerry Brownlee of a recent High Court judgment delivered by Justice Graham Panckhurst, in a proceeding brought by a group known as the Quake Outcasts.

“It is the role of judges to make their decisions according to law. For a senior Government politician to publicly criticise a Judge for fulfilling his constitutional role, and to imply that he ought not to be a Judge because he has made a decision that the Minister dislikes, is dangerous. The rule of law needs to be recognised and supported by politicians, even when they do not like the results.”

ENDS