The judicial task of judgment writing is solitary work so that what remains is scrupulously fair. Let us be grateful for the work of Justice Lee, his staff, and the decision to show it all on YouTube, says legal columnist HUGH SELBY.
Hugh Selby
Hugh Selby is the "CityNews" legal affairs commentator. His free podcasts on "Witness Essentials" and "Advocacy in court: preparation and performance" can be heard on the best known podcast sites.
The solution to tempering the extra-curricular curiosity of jurors was to treat them as criminals. The crime of a 'Rattenbury' was born. HUGH SELBY says the new legislation is "farcical, doomed to ridicule and contempt".
"Making money by publishing 'juicy extracts', using the protection against legal action that follows from the material in those documents becoming evidence, is shameful. It happened," writes legal columnist HUGH SELBY.
"If a person who wants to share litigation material, the media has to say: 'Step one is to seek the permission of the court'. Arguably a failure to do so means the whistleblower and the media are in contempt of court," writes HUGH SELBY.
"Thursday's questioning of the 'new' witness, served Channel Ten more than it served Bruce Lehrmann; however, this litigation is an adult version of Whack a Mole that can’t be turned off," writes legal columnist HUGH SELBY.
Legal columnist HUGH SELBLY offers background to TV Channel Ten’s surprise application in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case to bring "new evidence" before Federal Court Justice Lee at 5pm on Tuesday.
Legal columnist HUGH SELBY is prepared to foolhardily forego his afternoon nap for a year – "a real sacrifice" – and selflessly take on the role of attorney-general for whichever winning party will have him. But there are conditions...
Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury has been accused of behaving improperly in the selection of the new ACT director of public prosecutions. On the facts so far, HUGH SELBY says no, he hasn't.
"What’s the point of denying parole when there are no family or friends of baby Tegan? Keli Lane’s suitability for parole should depend upon other factors," writes legal columnist HUGH SELBY.
"A nightmare scenario is that a DPP decides a matter will not go to trial. Thereafter, the accused embarks on a series of sexual assaults before being arrested, tried and convicted." HUGH SELBY looks at the pressure to prosecute on DPPs.
The former ACT DPP sought to restore his reputation with litigation that has proved pointless at best. Indeed, for Mr Drumgold it has been worse: the negative labels have been hung up again – at his instigation, says HUGH SELBY.
Former DPP Shane Drumgold sought to impugn eight adverse findings by Commissioner Walter Sofronoff. He succeeded on only one. "I’d call it a pyrrhic victory," writes legal columnist HUGH SELBY.
![Teacher Vanessa Jones has been living in Higgins since 2001, and while she loves the area, she says she is “fed up” with the neglectful ACT government.
The Higgins shops have been completely abandoned, says Vanessa, preventing the opportunity for residents to have a community-centred space to socialise.
They only received bins nine months ago, she says, and requests for a water station and repairs to the bus station have gone unanswered.
“It’s very, very slow,” says Vanessa.
“I asked for the zebra crossing on Fullagar [Crescent] to be repainted, and we had to wait about six or nine months.
“That’s just such a long time… we pay a lot of rates.”
Vanessa says assistance from the government only seems to go to communities with time-rich and assertive communities, leaving places such as Higgins, where the majority of households have both adults working full-time and English may not be the first language of the family, at an automatic disadvantage.
“If you’ve got two people working, paying a mortgage, raising two or three kids, they don’t have the time,” says Vanessa.
Vanessa says the lack of attention quieter places such as Higgins is receiving is starting to look a lot like favouritism.
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