Judith Potter
The Honourable Dame Judith Potter DNZM, CBE |
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Justice of the High Court | |
In office 1997–2012 |
Dame Judith Marjorie Potter, DNZM, CBE (born 1942), is a former High Court Judge in New Zealand.
Career
Potter graduated from the University of Auckland in 1965, and went on to become a senior partner at law firm, Kensington Swan. She is the former President of the Auckland District Law Society and was the first woman president of the New Zealand Law Society.[1]
On 20 March 1997 Potter was appointed as a judge of the High Court of New Zealand[1][2] Potter has presided over several high-profile cases in her 15 years on the bench.[3] One such case which prompted a mild rebuke from the United Nations Human Rights Committee[4] was the criminal conviction of twelve-year-old Emelysifa Jessop for aggravated robbery. In 1998, Potter convicted and sentenced the girl to 4 years. When this conviction was overturned on grounds the judge had convicted Miss Jessop despite her not entering a plea, Potter presided over the retrial and sentenced the girl to 4 years and eight months.[5]
Her previous roles include director of the Electricity Corporation, a director of the New Zealand Guardian Trust Company, chairwoman of the Broadcasting Standards Authority and a member of the Securities Commission.[3]
In 2000 Potter issued an influential ruling balancing the rights of those alleging harassment and the rights of freedom of expression in Beadle v Allen.[6] In 2007 Potter jailed website editor Vince Siemer for his continual breaches of a High Court injunction.[7][8] Potter has been criticised in the media for sentences which were considered excessively lenient.[9][10]
On 31 December 2012 Potter retired from the bench in New Zealand[11] and accepted an appointment to the High Court of the Cook Islands.[12]
Honours, titles and style
In the New Year Honours 1994 Potter was appointed a Commander of the The Order of the British Empire for services to the legal profession.[13] and became Judith Potter Lua error in mw.lua at line 511: expandTemplate: template "post-nominals/NZ" does not exist.
On 20 March 1997 on appointment to the High Court of New Zealand became The Honourable Justice Judith Potter Lua error in mw.lua at line 511: expandTemplate: template "post-nominals/NZ" does not exist..
On 27 August 2012 Potter was granted the right to retain the title of "The Honourable" for life in recognition of her service as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand.[14]
In the New Year Honours 2013 Potter was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.[15] and became The Honourable Justice Dame Judith Potter DNZM, CBE.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Justice Judith Potter - LLB. The University of Auckland.
- ↑ "Appointment of Judge of the High Court" (20 March 1997) 25 "The New Zealand Gazette 617.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Emelysifa Jessop v New Zealand Communication No. 1758/2008, 21 April 2008
- ↑ background, Jessop v Queen SC8/2006 [2007] NZSC 96, 30.11.07
- ↑ Beadle v Allen [2000] NZFLR 639 at 662 para 36-40
- ↑ Stiassny v Siemer CIV-2005-404-1808, 30 March 2011
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Appointment of Acting Judge of High Court" (4 October 2012) 122 "The New Zealand Gazette" 3449 at 3484.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53528. p. 33. 30 December 1993.
- ↑ "Retention of the Title ‘The Honourable’" (6 September 2012) 110 The New Zealand Gazette 3125 at 3150.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Pages using Template:Post-nominals with customized linking
- 1942 births
- Living people
- University of Auckland alumni
- High Court of New Zealand judges
- New Zealand women judges
- Place of birth missing (living people)
- Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- Recipients of the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire