Right to comment on court decisions

Press, 21 December 1978, Page 7

Right to comment on court decisions

PA Wellington Every person had the right to comment on court decisions, said the Attor-ney-General (Mr McLayJ, commenting on criticism of theJPrime Minister (Mr Muldoon) by the Labour spokesman on Justice, Mr R. W. Prebble, after Mr Muldoon’s comments on the Matai case judgment last week. Mr Prebble said it was “most improper” for the Prime Minister, who was a witness in the case, to “now attempt to argue in public a case which was found to have no merit in court.”

He said he hoped the Attorney-General would tell Mr Muldoon that “the law is above Mr Muldoon, not the other way round.”But Mr McLay said today that Mr Prebble had shown a “fundamental

ignorance about how the law worked in a democra-

cy- .. It is, of course, for the courts to say how .the law will be applied,” Mr McLay said.

“But for Mr Prebble’s benefit I want to make it quite clear that under our democratic system of government it is a basic right of) every person, and that includes the Prime Minister, to comment on a court decision.

“Newspapers,. do it, as law journals, and lawyers — particularly when they argue an appeal against a court decision. “Anyone may make an informed comment on a court- decision, subject only to showing the normal courtesies to the court itself, and that was certainly done in this case.”