Dame Judith Marjorie Potter (born 23 August 1942) is a former High Court judge in New Zealand.

Early life

Potter was born in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

suburb of Mount Albert on 23 August 1942, the daughter of Winifred Marjorie Potter (née Hall) and Philip Ernest Potter, who served as mayor of Mount Roskill between 1950 and 1953. She spent much of her childhood in

Mount Roskill Mount Roskill is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Puketāpapa (commonly called "Mount Roskill" in English). Description The suburb, named after the Mount, is located seven kilometres to ...

and

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

. She was educated at

Epsom Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = ''Through difficulties to greatness.'' , coordinates = , type = State Single Sex Girls Secondary (Year 9–13) with Boarding Facilities , established = 12 February 1917 , MOE = 64 , principal = Lorraine Pound , colo ...

, before studying at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

from 1960 to 1964, graduating with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree in 1965. In 1964, Potter joined the law firm Wallace, McLean, Bawden & Partners.

Career

Potter became a senior partner at law firm, Kensington Swan. She is the former President of the

District Law Society and was the first woman president of the New Zealand Law Society, holding the position from 1991 to 1994.Justice Judith Potter - LLB
. The University of Auckland. On 20 March 1997 Potter was appointed as a judge of the

High Court of New Zealand The High Court of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kōti Matua o Aotearoa) is the superior court of New Zealand. It has general jurisdiction and responsibility, under the Senior Courts Act 2016, as well as the High Court Rules 2016, for the administration ...

Potter has presided over several high-profile cases in her 15 years on the bench. One such case which prompted a rebuke from the United Nations Human Rights Committee 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. 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. 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''. In 2007 Potter jailed website editor Vince Siemer for his continual breaches of a High Court injunction. Potter has been criticised in the media for sentences which were considered excessively lenient. On 31 December 2012 Potter retired from the bench in New Zealand and accepted an appointment to the High Court of the Cook Islands. Potter was the second woman to become a judge in the Cook Islands following

Christine Grice Christine Mary Grice is a New Zealand lawyer and jurist, who was the first female judge in the Cook Islands, and the second female president of the New Zealand Law Society. Career Grice studied at University of Canterbury for a Bachelor of La ...

Honours

In 1990, Potter received the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

, and in 1993 she was awarded the

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

. In the 1994 New Year Honours, Potter was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the legal profession, and became Judith Potter . On 20 March 1997, on her appointment to the High Court of New Zealand, she became The Honourable

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Judith Potter . 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. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hon ...

, Potter was appointed a

Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to the judiciary, and became The Honourable Justice Dame Judith Potter .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Judith 1942 births Living people University of Auckland alumni High Court of New Zealand judges New Zealand women judges Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand judges on the courts of the Cook Islands New Zealand women lawyers Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School Lawyers from Auckland High Court of the Cook Islands judges

Early life

Career

Honours

See also

References