(o) Judiciary Begins to Return to "Normal"

New Zealander Anthony Gates (photo) has been reappointed as Chief Justice and Davendra Pathik and Daniel Gounder as puisne judges. Sosefo Inoke is a newly appointed puisne judge to the High Court. Lawyer Mary Muir has joined eight other magistrates sworn in earlier in the week. [For negative and possibly libellous-by-inference profiles of the appointees, obtained from unnamed "legal sources," see Coupfourpointfive.]

The country’s high courts have been out of session since April 10, when all judicial appointments were revoked as a result of the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitution. More judicial appointments are expected to be made soon. Nazhat Shameem, former Director of Public Prosecutions and Fiji's first female judge, has so far not been reappointed.Click here for full report.

Meanwhile,blog Coupfourpointfive reports in "Lawyers Put Pressure on Naidu" that some Western Division lawyers are urging Fiji Law Society President Dorsami Naidu to allow lawyers to be appointed as judges, but Naidu has refused to change his stance.

Prior to the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitution, the FLS was represented on the Judicial Service Commission on whose recommendations the President appointed judges, magistrates, justices of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, and the Chief Justice. As reported earlier, the FLS is also likely to lose its role as the licencing authority of lawyers. This function is likely to be taken over by the Attorney-General. To more fully understand the significance of these changes, readers are urged to read my May 10th post, "How Independent is the Judiciary?" --Post based on FijiLive and Fiji Times releases.