High Court Pokemon at USyd (1 Viewer)

[ManlyChief]

Well howdie Ladies and Gents! Long time no post!

The rigours of my thesis writing/researching/procrastination have left my days without so much as the time to itch.

So, why, I hear you clamour, do I post now?

Well, I didn't know if anyone else had mentioned it, and I thought some folks here might be interested in next week's Public Forum run by Sydney Uni Law Society, here's the text of the email I got about it:

1. PUBLIC FORUMS – Michael Kirby:
Roll up, come one come all to the SULS Public Forums event of the semester...on Tuesday, August 15 Justice Michael Kirby, everyone's favourite High Court incumbent, will be giving a presentation to USYD students. As well as being the High Court judge we all know and love, Justice Kirby has served as President of the International Commission of Jurists and recently completed work with the UN regarding an international treaty on bioethics. This is a perfect chance to hear from this soon-to-retire legal maverick. The forum is at 6pm, in the Assembly Hall, hope to see everyone there!


Now, personally, I am not a Kirby fan, I'm a Gleeson-Gummow groupie, and I feel sick at the sight the lionising praise being heaped upon Kirby (who, seriously, like Gummow, has a name that could so belong to a Pokemon) but I understand that many students do like him. So, I thought, if he floats your boat, you should come.

But I warn you--the Assembly hall (like the old law school in general) is a pebblecrete lump of poo right out of the 1960s ... so enter at your peril.

Ok, I shall be going now. Love you all, hugs and more hugs and even some inappropriate slapping -- sue me -- there is so much love in here.

But I will leave you this artist's impression of what the court might look like if it indeed were a manga Pokemon comic ...

I love you all so much, hope life is fun and surf-like.

Bye bye bye,

ManlyChief

 

[MoonlightSonata]

hahahaha



Well I think it would be a bit too groupie/stalker/embarrassing me going to another Kirby talk so soon, since I asked him to autograph a picture last time.

 

[lengy]

lol. In the law world Kirby is the equivalent of Brad Pitt?

 

[hfis]

lol. In the law world Kirby is the equivalent of Brad Pitt?

Well, if you substitute 'physical attractiveness' with 'dissenting judgements', then yeah I guess so.

 

[ManlyChief]

hahahaha



Well I think it would be a bit too groupie/stalker/embarrassing me going to another Kirby talk so soon, since I asked him to autograph a picture last time.

Oh dear, are you a Kriby tragic, MS ? What a pity, the high esteem in which I have heretofore held you wanes a little at that news ... but fear not, you are still up there ...

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Oh dear, are you a Kriby tragic, MS ? What a pity, the high esteem in which I have heretofore held you wanes a little at that news ... but fear not, you are still up there ...

While I would not want to disparage in any way the worth of Kirby's legal opinions, I admire him more for his extra-judicial activities, virtues and inspiring contributions to society rather than for any particular agreement with his decisions. Although I did agree with him on Harriton v Stephens [2006].

Generally, I'm more in line judicially with McHugh or Gleeson. (Although I also like the decisions of Gibbs and Dixon).

However I don't think it's really fair for people to suggest that Kirby's decisions are necessarily of less intellectual integrity than the other members of the Gleeson court. It depends upon your perspective. You have to take them on a case by case basis but I think that the pragmatism of his decisions can still often be seen sitting comfortably with Dworkinian interpretivism, even if he goes too far or takes a path that I probably would not have taken in some cases. I know at the present time his dissent is notorious and some people take it as laughable. But the reins of legal formalism tighten and loosen over time. If you put Kirby in the Mason era his dissent rate would probably drop dramatically. And I think it's probably true that, given his focus on international law, as the world shrinks smaller and smaller there may indeed be a significant atavism of Kirby dissents should international law take a greater grip over our legal system. When that will be and to what extent, who knows.

I'm not the biggest fan of his writing style though. He often writes eloquently but not as clearly with respect to the distilment of principles. I prefer Gleeson's icy lucidity in that regard.

 

[Tom Ruprecht]

Callinan dissents a lot too. He's the real weirdo. His judgments are even weirder. If he writes 10 pages, he'll often have 9 1/2 pages of facts and 1/2 a page for his decision, which usually just appears like his arbitrary whim.

His smutty novels are even worse. Apparently, I heard on the grapevine that they read like technical manuals. For Samsung. Or something.

 

[ManlyChief]

While I would not want to disparage in any way the worth of Kirby's legal opinions, I admire him more for his extra-judicial activities, virtues and inspiring contributions to society rather than for any particular agreement with his decisions. Although I did agree with him on Harriton v Stephens [2006].

Generally, I'm more in line judicially with McHugh or Gleeson. (Although I also like the decisions of Gibbs and Dixon).

However I don't think it's really fair for people to suggest that Kirby's decisions are necessarily of less intellectual integrity than the other members of the Gleeson court. It depends upon your perspective. You have to take them on a case by case basis but I think that the pragmatism of his decisions can still often be seen sitting comfortably with Dworkinian interpretivism, even if he goes too far or takes a path that I probably would not have taken in some cases. I know at the present time his dissent is notorious and some people take it as laughable. But the reins of legal formalism tighten and loosen over time. If you put Kirby in the Mason era his dissent rate would probably drop dramatically. And I think it's probably true that, given his focus on international law, as the world shrinks smaller and smaller there may indeed be a significant atavism of Kirby dissents should international law take a greater grip over our legal system. When that will be and to what extent, who knows.

I'm not the biggest fan of his writing style though. He often writes eloquently but not as clearly with respect to the distilment of principles. I prefer Gleeson's icy lucidity in that regard.

Oh, toots, I wasn't dissin' Kirby's intellectual rigour. But I don't think he's worth the place of Ueber Judge that so many of my "I want to be a human rights lawyer" colleagues assign to him.

And, if Dixon the Great is being brought into the frame, then he must win, hands down.

And now, as to counter any harsh implications of what was written above by me, let me list two extra-judicial things I like about Kirby:

(1) He is (or at least was) a constitutional monarchist. Yay!

(2) He likes to have fresh flowers in his office because it reminds him of [somthing nice and profound, but I can't recall just what].

Tom raises a good point about Callinan. I am yet to work out just what he does up on the bench, except provide an ample target for shooting practice from the bar table ...

 

[Optophobia]

(1) He is (or at least was) a constitutional monarchist. Yay!

Of course he's a constitutional monarchist. I hear he has a thing for queens.

 

[Jesus!]

His smutty novels are even worse. Apparently, I heard on the grapevine that they read like technical manuals. For Samsung. Or something.

You made me laugh. Just once.

 

[machine169]

I agree with him in Griffith University v Tang for obvious reasons...

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Real funny one there mathmite.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Cmon Moonlight, it's time to stand up and be counted :rofl: your hero wants you to come out of the closet :uhhuh:

Heh

Apart from any inherent moral turpitude involved with untruth per se, I am not in the slightest bit insulted by that.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Yes.

Edit: Ok I found my moonlight > english translator. Apart from the fact that it's a lie, you aren't offended by being accused of being a homosexual..?

lol

correct