Contempt of Court Act 2019

Introduction

You could also call this:

"Fairness and Trust in the Court System"

Illustration for Contempt of Court Act 2019

The main goals of this Act are to promote justice and fairness, and to make sure people trust the court system. You can think of the court system like a referee in a game, making sure everyone follows the rules. This Act helps the courts do their job properly.

This Act helps courts make decisions and impose penalties so that court cases are heard fairly by independent judges. It also makes sure jury verdicts are based on facts and evidence, and that court cases are heard quickly and efficiently. You have the right to watch most court cases, unless the law says otherwise, like in the Family Court or Youth Court.

The Act also changes the rules about contempt of court, which means disobeying or disrespecting the court. It gets rid of some old rules, like punishing people for researching information during a trial or disclosing what happened during jury discussions. However, it still allows the High Court to punish people for contempt of court in certain situations.

This Act protects the independence and authority of judges, which means they can make decisions without being influenced by others. It also makes sure court orders are enforced, so people have to follow the rules. You can think of court orders like instructions from a teacher, and you have to follow them.

The Act is designed to make the court system work better, so you can trust that justice is being served. It helps make sure court cases are heard fairly and efficiently, and that people follow the rules. This way, you can feel confident that the court system is working properly.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS24741.


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1: Title, or

"The name of this law is the Contempt of Court Act 2019."

Contempt of Court Act 2019

Reprint as at:
2021-10-28
Assent:
2019-08-26
Commencement:
see section 2

The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Justice.