An invitation was given today to widen a first-ever judicial conduct inquiry into the alleged misbehaviour of Supreme Court Justice Bill Wilson.At a preliminary housekeeping conference in Wellington the judicial conduct panel indicated it wanted to hear n
An invitation was given today to widen a first-ever judicial conduct inquiry into the alleged misbehaviour of Supreme Court Justice Bill Wilson.
At a preliminary housekeeping conference in Wellington the judicial conduct panel indicated it wanted to hear not only from three complainants but anyone else mentioned in judicial conduct commissioner Sir David Gascoigne’s report recommending the establishment of the panel.
This is not an invitation for anyone with a gripe against Justice Wilson to vent their spleen. They have to be directly involved with formal complaints.
Parties who wish to be represented at the inquiry were asked to notify the panel by August 7.
Complainants include retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Ted Thomas, Saxmere superfinewool growers and an unidentified third party.
The panel, chaired by former Chief High Court Judge Tony Randerson, includes Chief High Court judge Helen Winkelmann and Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem.
It will be assisted by special counsel Queensland solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff QC, who was not at today’s conference.
The panel will not begin its hearings until after Justice Wilson’s High Court challenge to its legality, due to be argued at a judicial review in the High Court at Wellington in early September.
The panel is due to reconvene on October 1.
Apart from media interest, representatives of the wool board disestablishment committee (Disco), some curious court staff and Justice Wilson’s lawyer Colin Carruthers QC’s wife Deborah Coddington, there was little public interest today.
