In a rare glimpse into his inner life, China’s President Xi Jinping shared in a January speech that a little-known Irish novel helped him endure the hardships of his teenage years during the Cultural Revolution. Exiled to the countryside at just 13 years old after his father was purged from the Communist Party, Xi lived in harsh conditions, including time spent alone in a cave. During that period, he turned to literature for comfort and meaning — in particular, a novel called The Gadfly, whose themes of sacrifice, endurance and conviction left a lasting impression.

Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the lady chief justice, told The Times that fears over the undermining of judicial independence could prompt members of the quango to stand down.

Legislation which improves court timeliness by updating procedures and adding more High Court Judges has passed in Parliament 17 December, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Courts Minister Nicole McKee say. 

A Missouri judge who wore an Elvis Presley wig in his courtroom and played the singer’s music from his phone during court proceedings has agreed to a deal that would cut his career on the bench short.

It is one of the pleasures of language that each word carries its little freight of history. You may not like the times — I’m sceptical of many of the internet’s cultural effects — but history leaves its mark on language. We cannot and should not wish it otherwise. It would be tragic if our own time did not leave a layer of sediment in the ancient landscape of English. And who knows, perhaps being “woke” will last beyond Christmas and New Year.

When Shakespeare sketched his Seven Ages of Man, he imagined the arc of a human life progressing from mewling infancy to a decrepit “second childishness”. Neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge have suggested he may have slightly overestimated. The brain goes through significant change at the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83.

We are pleased to share the first edition of Pacific Benchmark, the inaugural publication of the Pacific Islands Judicial Officers’ Association, with members of JANZ.

The 67th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Judges has been an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani judiciary and legal community. The discussions and reflections shared during the sessions have not only enriched international judicial cooperation but have also provided valuable insight and inspiration for our judges, lawyers, and representatives of the legal community who followed the proceedings with great interest.

A discussion of limiting the size of procedural documents from a comparative law perspective. Less is more. By Tijn van Osch

A new report shows the "striking" disparity between men and women in the job - but what's behind it? First published by RNZ.

New Zealand’s justice system is “under considerable stress”, with not enough judges and courtrooms among a number of issues.

The propensity for AI systems to make mistakes and for humans to miss those mistakes has been on full display in the US legal system as of late. The follies began when lawyers—including some at prestigious firms—submitted documents citing cases that didn’t exist. Similar mistakes soon spread to other roles in the courts. In December, a Stanford professor submitted sworn testimony containing hallucinations and errors in a case about deepfakes, despite being an expert on AI and misinformation himself.

This is the fifth report in a series that started in 2014 and covers all salaried and fee-paid judicial office-holders in the three separate jurisdictions of England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

In times of national crisis, the measure of a judge often extends beyond jurisprudence. One of the most powerful recent examples comes from Ukraine, where Supreme Court Judge Ivan Mishchenko has moved between the courtroom and the frontline with purpose, humility, and resolve.

In a notable international judicial appointment, retired New Zealand Supreme Court Justice William Young has been confirmed as a non-permanent overseas judge of Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. The endorsement by Hong Kong lawmakers on 5 June 2025 marks a continued link between New Zealand’s legal excellence and key global jurisdictions.

The New Zealand High Court continues to be strengthened with the recent appointment of three distinguished legal professionals to the bench. These appointments reflect a continued investment in judicial depth, regional representation, and legal leadership across complex domains.

Although considerable efforts have been made to reduce delays, the judiciary does not hold all the levers necessary to eliminate them. Significant systemic constraints are at play, particularly around judicial resourcing. There is a clear need for more judges in the District Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal. For example, the statutorily imposed limit on the number of judges that can be appointed to the High Court and Court of Appeal has not been raised since 2004.
— Winkelmann CJ, NZLS Speech, May 2025

News of judicial leniency towards migrants sparked outrage in the UK last week, as a Pakistani migrant was allowed to stay in the UK after claiming to be gay — despite being convicted of sexual assault for groping a woman.

Ministers will rush through an emergency law to block the ‘two-tier’ justice rules and are considering curtailing the powers of the Sentencing Council.