1 Mr Justice Hammond delivered an unusual appeal judgment in New Zealand in 1993. The case was about a $100 fine imposed on a man for not having a dog licence. Speaking of comparable minor cases, the appeal judge noted that the original judge “peruses the mountain of files with great care and then imposes whatever penalty he or she deems appropriate. No hearing is held . . . No tears are shed. No howls of derision are heard from the gallery . . .The judge sits alone in his chambers and affixes his facsimile signature to the information sheet perhaps muttering silent curses to himself

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