High Court of the South Pacific

High Court of the South Pacific
Established	February 13, 2012 (2012-02-13)
Jurisdiction	The South Pacific
Number of positions	3 or more
Website	thesouthpacific.org/c/high-court/11
Chief Justice
Currently	Kris Kringle
Since	2017 (2017)

The High Court of the South Pacific is the supreme judicial authority of the South Pacific.

Role

The High Court holds exclusive judicial authority in the Coalition; it is the only body able to conduct criminal trials. If any general law, regulation, directive, determination or any other official act of government violates the Charter or any other constitutional law, the High Court may declare it void. It can also reconcile contradictions within law, and can interpret and clarify laws when presented with a Legal Question.

The High Court consists of one Chief Justice and at least two Associate Justices. The Chief Justice is the primary operator of the High Court, and cannot hold other government positions. Associate Justices are appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the Assembly; when there is a vacancy, a Chief Justice is selected among the Associate Justices. The incumbent Chief Justice is Kringalia and the Associate Justices are Belschaft, Griffindor, and Pronoun.

Procedures

The procedures of the High Court are laid out in the Judicial Act.

History

For much of the South Pacific's history, the role of the High Court was filled by the Minister of Justice. The Supreme Court was established in the 2012 Great Council. It was renamed to the High Court in March 2014. Justices were regularly elected for four-month terms until the Great Council of 2015, when Justice became a permanent appointment.

All past High Court cases and legal questions are archived in the Online Rulings Consultation System.

Chief Justice of the High Court of the South Pacific

See also: Chief Justice of the High Court

The Chief Justice of the High Court of the South Pacific is the head of the High Court of the South Pacific. They are responsible for the overall administration and maintenance of the High Court. Their day to day occupation is the upkeep of the infrastructure of the Court and oversees the public and private areas under the Courts supervision. The Chief Justice also takes part in and assigns the case rotation as cases are submitted for the Courts consideration.

Associate Justice of the High Court of the South Pacific

See also: Associate Justice of the High Court

The Associate Justice of the High Court is a position filled by multiple Associate Justices, the Associate Justices of the High Court are responsible for hearing cases and issuing an opinion or verdict to them. Associate Justices also assist the Chief Justice with the day-to-day administration and maintenance of the High Court of the South Pacific. Associate Justices are permitted to act as Chief Justice in situations where the Chief Justice is unable or unwilling to carry out their duties. If such a situation arises, the senior-most Associate Justice by confirmation date will act as Chief Justice.

Further Reading

• The Charter of the Coalition of the South Pacific, VIII. The High Court
• Online Rulings Consultation System
• Judicial Act