District Court Judges appointed

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson today announced the appointments of David Ruth, of Christchurch, and Barney Thomas, currently residing in the Netherlands, as District Court Judges.

Judge Ruth was admitted to the bar in 1974. He was a partner in the Christchurch firm of Brockett James for ten years before becoming an associate and then partner in Layburn Hodgins in 1998. He commenced practice as a barrister sole in 2000 and specialises in the criminal jurisdiction. He has acted as counsel appointed to represent children and persons under disability. He was one of the first to be appointed as a Youth Advocate in Christchurch. He is a former President of the Criminal Bar Association and a former member of the New Zealand Law Society Criminal Law Committee.

Judge Thomas was admitted to the bar in 1991. He has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from Auckland University. Judge Thomas has been a Trial Attorney at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia since 2007, prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prior to that role, he was Crown Counsel at the Crown Law Office in Wellington from 2005-07, representing the Crown on criminal appeals before the Court of Appeal. He was previously at Ronayne Hollister-Jones Lellman in Tauranga from 1998-2005, becoming a partner there in 2002. Judge Thomas has also worked in Rotorua (Davys Burton, 1993-98) and Auckland (Simpson Grierson Butler White, 1991-93).

Judge Ruth will be sworn in at Christchurch on 2 June 2011 and Judge Thomas will be sworn in at Hamilton on 29 July 2011. Both Judges will sit in Hamilton.