# Pitcairn Supreme Court > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pitcairn_Supreme_Court > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pitcairn_Supreme_Court.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Supreme_Court > Source revision: 1341380216 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **Pitcairn Supreme Court** is the [supreme court](/source/Supreme_court) of the [Pitcairn Islands](/source/Pitcairn_Islands), a [British Overseas Territory](/source/British_Overseas_Territories). It is a [superior](/source/Superior_court) [court of record](/source/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](/source/Pitcairn_sexual_assault_trial_of_2004), and its powers were further elaborated on in the Constitution Order 2010.[2] There are currently three judges appointed to the court, including [Chief Justice](/source/Chief_Justice) Charles Blackie, all of whom are judges in [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand). An agreement between the [British](/source/Government_of_the_United_Kingdom) and [New Zealand](/source/Government_of_New_Zealand) governments was signed at [Wellington](/source/Wellington) on 11 October 2002 which provided for Pitcairn court cases to be heard in New Zealand.[3] This was later reinforced by legislation passed in New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands, being the Pitcairn Trials Act 2002[4] and the Judicature Amendment Ordinance[3] respectively. Hearings of the court may also be held in the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom).[5] ## Judges Judges are appointed by the [Governor of the Pitcairn Islands](/source/Governor_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands) under instruction from King [Charles III](/source/Charles_III).[1] There must be, at all times, one [Chief Justice](/source/Chief_Justice) and up to four other judges or acting judges.[5] The current judges are: Pitcairn Islands ' Name Portrait Date Appointed Date Retired Other Judicial Offices Notes Incumbent Governor Monarch Charles Blackie Chief Justice (until 2022) 2004 2022 District Court of New Zealand Iona Thomas (2022–present) Elizabeth II (1952–2022) Jane Lovell-Smith 2004 ? District Court of New Zealand Russell Johnson (judge) 2004 2011 District Court of New Zealand Paul Heath Chief Justice (since 2022) rowspan="2" 2022 Current Court of Appeal of Tonga Charles III (2022–present) ## Cases ### Sexual assault trial Main article: [Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004](/source/Pitcairn_sexual_assault_trial_of_2004) The court first sat to try the [Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004](/source/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 [mutineers](/source/Mutiny) of the *[Bounty](/source/HMS_Bounty)*, burned the vessel in a symbolic (and, from the defence viewpoint, actual) rejection of further British [sovereignty](/source/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' [mayor](/source/List_of_rulers_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands), [Steve Christian](/source/Steve_Christian), direct descendant of leading *Bounty* mutineer [Fletcher Christian](/source/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)](/source/Mike_Warren_(mayor)) In 2010, then-[mayor](/source/List_of_rulers_of_the_Pitcairn_Islands) of the islands [Mike Warren](/source/Mike_Warren_(mayor)) 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 [2004 Pitcairn child sex abuse trial](/source/Pitcairn_sexual_assault_trial_of_2004), where six islanders were found guilty of various sexual crimes against children. ## References 1. ["Pitcairn Islands"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210112235431/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pitcairn-islands). *CIA World Factbook*. Archived from [the original](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pitcairn-islands/) on January 12, 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2015. 1. ["Pitcairn Constitution Order 2010"](http://www.government.pn/Laws/The%20Pitcairn%20Constitution%20Order%202010.pdf). *Pitcairn Laws*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023232/http://www.government.pn/Laws/The%20Pitcairn%20Constitution%20Order%202010.pdf) 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 July 2015. 1. ["Judicature Amendment Ordinance"](http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2038%20-%20Judicature%20Amendment%20Ordinance%202014%20Rev%20Ed.pdf). *Pitcairn Laws*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023222/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2038%20-%20Judicature%20Amendment%20Ordinance%202014%20Rev%20Ed.pdf) 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 July 2015. 1. ["Pitcairn Trials Act 2002"](http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0083/latest/DLM169865.html). *New Zealand Legislation*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002249/http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0083/latest/DLM169865.html) 2 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 July 2015. 1. ["Judicature (Courts) Ordinance"](http://www.government.pn/Laws/Judicature%20%28Courts%29%20Ordinance.pdf). *Pitcairn Laws*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023227/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Judicature%20%28Courts%29%20Ordinance.pdf) 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 July 2015. ## External links - [Pitcairn Islands Laws (includes case law of the Supreme Court)](http://www.paclii.org/databases.html#PN) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pitcairn Supreme Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Supreme_Court) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Supreme_Court?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.