Editing Politics of Kiribati (section)

==Judiciary==
{{Main|Judiciary of Kiribati}}

The Chapter VI of the Constitution of 1979 describes the [[Judiciary of Kiribati]].
The judicial system consists of magistrates' courts, the High Court and the [[Kiribati Court of Appeal]]. The Beretitenti (President), acting in accordance with the advice of the Public Service Commission, makes all judicial appointments, and amongst them, the [[Chief Justice]], the main judge of the High Court. The High Court is in [[Betio]]. Sir [[John Muria]] was the Chief Justice of Kiribati until his replacement by [[Bill Hastings (judge)|Bill Hastings]] in August 2021, after a 8 months vacancy. On 30 June 2022, Hastings was abruptly suspended from his office during the [[2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis]].

The [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] in [[London]], [[England]] has jurisdiction only if a case involves constitutional rights. Appeals are taken directly to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council itself.

The [[Court of Appeal of Kiribati]] is otherwise the [[supreme court]] in Kiribati.

=== The People's Lawyer of Kiribati ===

The People's Lawyer of Kiribati represents disadvantaged residents and those who are unable to access legal representation. Accordingly, the office represents clients in "Land, Civil and Criminal Matters and act for them in the Magistrates and High Court as well as the Court of Appeal." The position had long been filled by expatriate lawyers who were volunteering from either Australia or New Zealand with the "role...funded by the Australian Government through [the] Australian Volunteers International."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://peopleslawyerkiribati.wordpress.com/our-services-2/|title=Our Services|date=2013-06-27|work=People's Lawyer Kiribati|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In 2015, the role of The People's Lawyer changed in that it was now filled by a Kiribati citizen: Raweita Beniata (male lawyer; 2015- ).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.australianvolunteers.com/stories/familyprotectionsolomons/|title=Supporting the new Family Protection Act in Solomon Islands|website=www.australianvolunteers.com|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://issuu.com/australianvolunteersinternational/docs/av_magazine___winter_2015___final|title=AV Magazine Winter 2015|work=Issuu|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+
The People's Lawyer of Kiribati (Incomplete Table)
!Name
!Term
|-
|[[Roger Bell (lawyer)|Roger Bell]] (who established the office)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7rg-swcHq9QC&pg=PA66|title=Atoll Politics: The Republic of Kiribati|last=Trease|first=Howard Van|date=1993|publisher=editorips@usp.ac.fj|isbn=9780958330008|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=10989964|title=North stalwart steps up|date=2009-12-15|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/the-courts/high-court/judges|title=Judges — Courts of New Zealand|website=www.courtsofnz.govt.nz|language=en-nz|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref>
|c. 1980-1982
|-
|[[Michael Lodge]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EHK-KywQDnMC&pg=PA233|title=Pacific Courts and Legal Systems|last1=Powles|first1=Guy|last2=Pulea|first2=Mere|date=1988|publisher=editorips@usp.ac.fj|isbn=9789820200432|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K8pBAAAAYAAJ|title=Pacific Islands Monthly: PIM.|date=1987|publisher=Pacific Publications|language=en}}</ref>
|c.  -1986
|-
|[[David Lambourne]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lsnRCQAAQBAJ|title=Kiribati Foreign Policy and Government Guide|last=Publications|first=USA International Business|date=2015-06-08|publisher=Int'l Business Publications|isbn=9781433027680|language=en}}</ref>
|c. 1995-1999
|-
|[[Jackie Huston]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://commonlaw.uottawa.ca/en/students/legal-writing-academy/faculty-advisor-board|title=Faculty of Law - Common Law Section {{!}} University of Ottawa|work=Faculty of Law - Common Law Section|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}</ref>
|c. 2003-2004
|-
|[[Jennifer Troup]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/analysis/island-ethos/43742.article|title=Island ethos {{!}} News {{!}} Law Society Gazette|work=Law Society Gazette|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}</ref>
|c. 2004-2006
|-
|[[Joelle Grover]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jjie.org/2013/10/09/island-sands-to-city-crimes-pacific-island-youth-in-crisis/|title=Island Sands to City Crimes: Pacific Island Youth in Crisis|work=Juvenile Justice Information Exchange|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://w01.uolia.wf.ulcc.ac.uk/community/londonconnection/articles/profiles/profile-joelle-grover|title=Profile on: Joelle Grover {{!}} University of London International Programmes|date=2013-07-04|website=w01.uolia.wf.ulcc.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311141713/http://w01.uolia.wf.ulcc.ac.uk/community/londonconnection/articles/profiles/profile-joelle-grover|archive-date=2018-03-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|c. 2006-2007
|-
|[[Aomoro Amten]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j0dKCV7gqAsC&pg=PA170|title=Doing Business 2007: How to Reform|date=2006-01-01|publisher=World Bank Publications|isbn=9780821364895|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kiribatilegalservices.com.ki/about-us|title=TA Law Firm - Kiribati - About Us|website=www.kiribatilegalservices.com.ki|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref>
|c. 2007-2008
|-
|[[Daniel Webb (lawyer)|Daniel Webb]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201011233113/law/uwa-law-graduate-wins-victorias-young-lawyer-year-award|title=UWA Law graduate wins Victoria's Young Lawyer of the Year Award|work=News {{!}} The University Of Western Australia|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}</ref>
|c. 2010-2011
|-
|[[Debrah Mercurio]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/world.bank.publications/docs/9780821388334/182|title=Doing Business 2012|website=Issuu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282222437|title=October 2011: Needs Evaluation Survey for South Pacific Lawyer Associations - Final Report|last=Naylor|first=David|date=2011-10-18}}</ref>
|c. 2011-2012
|-
|[[Nancy Walker (lawyer)|Nancy Walker]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pilonsec.org/images/stories/Documents/CountryReports/31st/kiribati.pdf|title=KIRIBATI COUNTRY REPORT 31 st MEETING OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS LAW OFFICERS' NETWORK 29 – 31st November 2012|date=2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pilonsec.org/images/stories/32nd/Kiribati_Country_Report_2013.pdf|title=KIRIBATI COUNTRY REPORT 32 nd MEETING OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS LAW OFFICERS' NETWORK5-6th November 2013|date=2013}}</ref>
[[Andrea Hadaway]]<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2014|title=A word from…Talofa lava and welcome to this ninth issue of newSPLAsh|url=https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0217f9_428abb2d488c42dfb57a6c4b5211aea8.pdf|journal=South Pacific Lawyers Association|volume=9}}</ref>
|c. 2012-2013
|-
|[[Jessica McLaren]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://peopleslawyerkiribati.wordpress.com/our-team-2/|title=Our Team|date=2013-06-27|work=People's Lawyer Kiribati|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US}}</ref>
|c. 2013-2015
|-
|[[Raweita Beniata]]<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJlaRWBUDnYC&pg=PA189|title=Doing Business 2010: Reforming through Difficult Times|date=2009-09-11|publisher=World Bank Publications|isbn=9780821379653|language=en}}</ref> (1st I-Kiribati male citizen)
|c. 2015-
|}