Bill English seems to think that New Zealand could become a part of a new, non-US Trans Pacific Partnership trade bloc without Parliament having to look at the issue. I'm pretty sure he is wrong about that.
Read MoreLaw
Explaining NZ's record high prison population
The prison population has hit 10,000 - an all-time high. 56% of these inmates are Maori - another all time high. What's going on?
Read MoreIt's a Sicilian message
Alfred Ngaro appears to think the Government can stop its critics taking part in government programmes. That's not just wrong from a political morality standpoint, it's flat out illegal.
Read MoreRepealing blasphemous libel - what took us so long?
The Irish might be going to prosecute Stephen Fry for blasphemy? Quick - let's amend our laws so that we don't ever end up doing something so silly!
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 MoreWhy Matthew Hooton is wrong - again
Matthew Hooton being wrong about something is not usually worth writing a post about. But when he speaks ill of one of my friends ... well, action must be taken.
Read MoreHow to lose when you win
Jordan Williams' apparently crushing defamation victory from last year carried within it the seeds of its own demise. And in overturning that victory, the High Court has some less than complementry things to say about his own behaviour.
Read MoreIn qualified praise of the Andrew Little defamation verdict
The defamation case against Andrew Little did not result in his having to pay any damages. All in all, I think that is a good thing for the country as a whole.
Read MoreSome questions for the NZDF
Almost a week after the release of Hit & Run, we have more questions than answers from the Defence Force and the Government.
Read MoreTe Awa Tupua - ding an sich selbst
Jamie Whyte thinks it is "legislative lunacy" for Parliament to recognise the Whanganui River as being "a person". Once again, it appears Jamie Whyte doesn't really know much about that of which he speaks.
Read MoreI'm surprised Hitler didn't round up the toupee people
Does a murderer really have the right to wear a hairpiece? Are we really living in such mad times? Or might things be a little more complex than that?
Read MoreMy little gonzo academic electoral law experiment
Is it now legal to use TV and radio to run mean-spirited, hatchet-job attack ads on your political enemies? I decided to find out ... so here's a reprise of what happened, having previously been recounted over at The Spinoff.
Read MoreSome innocents 'scape not the thunderbolt
Willie Jackson is right that the low voting turnout amongst younger age groups is a real problem. But he's wrong to blame the Electoral Commission for following the law that Parliament has made.
Read MoreHere's one for the fans
Could the Labour Party end up in court over its party list? Probably not, but this is the Labour Party we're talking about!
Read MoreThree takes on Miller (the Brexit case)
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is going to keep constitutional lawyers in the UK (and elsewhere in the Commonwealth) very busy for the upcoming months and years. Here's my humble early offerings on it.
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 MoreDoing the right thing
Today the right thing was done for two individuals by public officials who were not forced into doing so. Let's just take a moment to savour an occasion when things worked the way they should.
Read MoreA special treat for Dunedin readers!
Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Dr Andrew Butler propose that New Zealand should have a written constitution. If you're in Dunedin this Wednesday night, come along to the Museum and hear why.
Read MoreThree strikes and you still get out
The courts really, really don't like the "three strikes" sentencing regime. And they're doing what they can to avoid having it force them into actions they think are wholly disproportionate.
Read MorePost TPP confusion - or, will Ms Miller come to Wellington?
Is it a good idea for New Zealand to try and resurrect the Trans-Pacific Partnership without the involvement of the USA? And, if it does so, will the Government have to go back to Parliament and ask it to change a Bill it's just agreed to?
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