Accessing Court Files as a Feminist Endeavour: Reflections on ‘Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa - Te Rino: A Two-Stranded Rope’

In this piece, we reflect on the significance of accessing court records for feminist endeavours. We discuss two examples that illustrate the value of accessing and critiquing court processes. Feminist judgment writing, as a feminist endeavour, demonstrates the significance of hearing women&rsqu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Elisabeth McDonald, Paulette Benton-Greig
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2018-12-01
Series:Oñati Socio-Legal Series
Subjects:
Online Access:http://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/959
Description
Summary:In this piece, we reflect on the significance of accessing court records for feminist endeavours. We discuss two examples that illustrate the value of accessing and critiquing court processes. Feminist judgment writing, as a feminist endeavour, demonstrates the significance of hearing women&rsquo;s stories as well as the importance of nuanced factual analysis that takes account of the lived experiences of women. Access to the court file in one of the rewritten judgments exposed missing relevant facts in the appellate decision, and demonstrates how the appellant&rsquo;s story was never fully reflected in the judgment or verdict. In our rape trial research, access to court records makes visible the complainant&rsquo;s evidence and the response of the judge to her as a person. It also allows inquiry as to how the rules of evidence enacted for the protection of the complainant, such as non-disclosure of their occupation, are actually working in practice. <br /><br /> En este art&iacute;culo, reflexionamos sobre el significado de acceder a archivos judiciales para objetivos feministas. Comentamos dos ejemplos que ilustran el valor de acceder a esos archivos y de criticar procesos judiciales. La redacci&oacute;n feminista de decisiones judiciales demuestra la importancia de escuchar los relatos de las mujeres, as&iacute; como del an&aacute;lisis matizado de hechos que toma en consideraci&oacute;n el relato de la experiencia vivida por las mujeres. En uno de los fallos reescritos, el acceso al archivo judicial puso de manifiesto hechos relevantes ausentes en la decisi&oacute;n en apelaci&oacute;n, y c&oacute;mo el relato de la recurrente nunca lleg&oacute; a reflejarse del todo en la sentencia. En nuestra investigaci&oacute;n sobre juicios por violaci&oacute;n, el acceso a los archivos hace visibles las pruebas de la denunciante y la respuesta que, como persona, le dio el juez. Tambi&eacute;n permite cuestionar c&oacute;mo se lleva a la pr&aacute;ctica el reglamento probatorio dictado para proteger a la denunciante, como la no revelaci&oacute;n de su profesi&oacute;n.<br /><strong><br /> DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN:</strong> <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=3178159" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=3178159</a>
ISSN:2079-5971