Judge Andy Nicholls spoke with The Post (external link)recently to talk them through a typical day for him at the Wellington District Court.

 

Judge Nicholls explained to The Post’s Court Reporter Deborah Morris that behind the courtroom are a multitude of people working, sometimes into the night to get ready for the next day.

He also said his days are definitely not predictable.

“On a day where we're doing the criminal list, which is a busy, busy court day, a variety of things can be presented to the judge to move matters along for people.

“You will have done some preparation and you will have an expectation about what it is that the lawyers want to achieve and what the lay of the land looks like. For other matters you will not have seen the file before it's handed up to you. And so you do live by your wits.”

“Considering bail, a sentence or name suppression is not random. Judges have to follow a set of rules just like anyone else. There are statutory tests to be met, we have them to guide judges – we don’t have unrestrained discretion"

You can watch a video and read the whole story on The Post site here(external link)