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{{Short description|Supreme court of the British Overseas Territory of Pitcairn Islands}}
{{Infobox high court
|court_name      = Pitcairn Supreme Court
|established     =
|image           = Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands.svg
|imagesize       =
|caption         = The coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
|jurisdiction    = [[Pitcairn Islands]]
|location        = Pitcairn Islands, [[New Zealand]] or the [[United Kingdom]]
|coordinates     =
|type            = Appointed by the [[Governor of the Pitcairn Islands]] on the instructions of [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|His Majesty The King]]<ref name=cia>{{cite web|title=Pitcairn Islands|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pitcairn-islands/|website=CIA World Factbook|access-date=1 July 2015}}</ref>
|authority       = Pitcairn Constitution Order 2010
|appealsto       = Pitcairn Court of Appeal or the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council|Privy Council]]
|website         =
|terms           = <!-- length of court term for judges-->
|positions       = <!-- number of positions/seats on court-->
|chiefjudgetitle = Chief Justice of the Pitcairn Islands
|chiefjudgename  = [[Charles Blackie]] [[Volunteer Reserve Decoration|VRD]]
|termstart       = 2004
|termend         = <!-- year term for current chief as chief ends, if applicable-->
|termend2        = <!-- year term of current chief ends if applicable-->
}}

{{Politics of the Pitcairn Islands}}

The '''Pitcairn Supreme Court''' is the [[supreme court]] of the [[Pitcairn Islands]], a [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]]. It is a [[Superior court|superior]] [[court of record]]. Provisions for a supreme court were set out in amendments to the Old Constitution Order in the 1990s. The court first sat for the [[Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004]], and its powers were further elaborated on in the Constitution Order 2010.<ref name=const>{{cite web|title=Pitcairn Constitution Order 2010|url=http://www.government.pn/Laws/The%20Pitcairn%20Constitution%20Order%202010.pdf|website=Pitcairn Laws|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023232/http://www.government.pn/Laws/The%20Pitcairn%20Constitution%20Order%202010.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are currently three judges appointed to the court, including [[Chief Justice]] Charles Blackie, all of whom are judges in [[New Zealand]]. An agreement between the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British]] and [[Government of New Zealand|New Zealand]] governments was signed at [[Wellington]] on 11 October 2002 which provided for Pitcairn court cases to be heard in New Zealand.<ref name=jao /> This was later reinforced by legislation passed in New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands, being the Pitcairn Trials Act 2002<ref name=pta>{{cite web|title=Pitcairn Trials Act 2002|url=http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0083/latest/DLM169865.html|website=New Zealand Legislation|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=2 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002249/http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0083/latest/DLM169865.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Judicature Amendment Ordinance<ref name=jao>{{cite web|title=Judicature Amendment Ordinance|url=http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2038%20-%20Judicature%20Amendment%20Ordinance%202014%20Rev%20Ed.pdf|website=Pitcairn Laws|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023222/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2038%20-%20Judicature%20Amendment%20Ordinance%202014%20Rev%20Ed.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> respectively. Hearings of the court may also be held in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name=jco>{{cite web|title=Judicature (Courts) Ordinance|url=http://www.government.pn/Laws/Judicature%20%28Courts%29%20Ordinance.pdf|website=Pitcairn Laws|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023227/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Judicature%20%28Courts%29%20Ordinance.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Judges ==
Judges are appointed by the [[Governor of the Pitcairn Islands]] under instruction from King [[Charles III]].<ref name= cia /> There must be, at all time, one [[Chief Justice]] and up to four other judges or acting judges.<ref name=jco /> The current judges are:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%;text-align:center"
! align=center style="background:green; color:gold;" colspan="8" |[[File:Flag_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands.svg|alt=|border|25x25px]] Pitcairn Islands '''[[File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg|alt=|border|25x25px]]'''
|-
! Name
!Portrait!! Date Appointed !! Date Retired !! Other Judicial Offices !! Notes
![[Governor of Pitcairn|Incumbent Governor]]
![[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Monarch]]
|-
|'''[[Charles Blackie]]'''
<small>Chief Justice (until 2022)</small>
|[[File:Charles Blackie (cropped).jpg|86x86px]]|| 2004|| 2022 || [[District Court of New Zealand]]|| 
| rowspan="4" |[[File:Iona Thomas 2021.jpg|alt=|93x93px]]
'''[[Iona Thomas]]'''
(2022–present)
| rowspan="3" |[[File:Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg|106x106px]]
'''[[Elizabeth II]]'''
(1952–2022)
|-
|'''[[Jane Lovell-Smith]]'''
|[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands.svg|70x70px]]|| 2004 || ? || [[District Court of New Zealand]]|| 
|-
|'''[[Russell Johnson (judge)]]'''
|[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands.svg|70x70px]]|| 2004 || 2011 || [[District Court of New Zealand]]|| 
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''[[Paul Heath]]'''
<small>Chief Justice (since 2022)</small>
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands.svg|70x70px]]|| 2022 || Current || [[Court of Appeal of Tonga]]||
| [[File:King Charles III (July 2023).jpg|106x106px]]
'''[[Charles III]]'''
(2022–present)
|}

== Cases ==

=== Sexual assault trial ===
{{Main|Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004}}

The court first sat to try the [[Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004]]. The tribunal's first decision was whether to accept the defence claim that the Pitcairn Islands were not in fact legally British territory and had not been such since at least the time that the original settlers, the [[mutiny|mutineers]] of the ''[[HMS Bounty|Bounty]]'', burned the vessel in a symbolic (and, from the defence viewpoint, actual) rejection of further British [[sovereignty]] and rule.  The Supreme Court ruled that the Pitcairns were in fact British territory and were generally internationally recognised to be such and that the trial was thus legal.

The Court later (October 23) found the defendants to be guilty of the sexual offences alleged against them, which created turmoil as the defendants included the islands' [[List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands|mayor]], [[Steve Christian]], direct descendant of leading ''Bounty'' mutineer [[Fletcher Christian]]. Steve Christian's sister was then installed as mayor until a new election could be held for a new island government.

=== Child pornography trial ===
{{See also|Mike Warren (mayor)}}

{{expand section|date=April 2016}}

In 2010, then-[[List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands|mayor]] of the islands [[Mike Warren (mayor)|Mike Warren]] was charged with possession of child pornography. In 2016 he was found guilty of downloading more than 1000 images and videos of child sexual abuse. Warren began collecting child pornography after the [[Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004|2004 Pitcairn child sex abuse trial]], where six islanders were found guilty of various sexual crimes against children.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.paclii.org/databases.html#PN Pitcairn Islands Laws (includes case law of the Supreme Court)]

[[Category:Government of the Pitcairn Islands]]
[[Category:Politics of the Pitcairn Islands]]
[[Category:2004 in the Pitcairn Islands]]
[[Category:Law of the Pitcairn Islands]]