Story: Judicial system

Supreme Court Judges Act 1858

The Supreme Court Judges Act 1858 guaranteed the tenure of judges 'during good behaviour'. Freedom from unreasonable dismissal was an important element of judicial independence, and had been introduced in Britain in 1701 to prevent the monarch from dismissing judges on a whim.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: New Zealand Statutes, 1858, pp. 99-100.

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Philip A. Joseph and Thomas Joseph, 'Judicial system - Judicial independence', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/33956/supreme-court-judges-act-1858 (accessed 26 September 2023)

Story by Philip A. Joseph and Thomas Joseph, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 11 Oct 2016