Statement from the Honourable Chris Kourakis, Chief Justice of South Australia
6 November 2023
Statement from the Honourable Chris Kourakis in relation to a Practice Note about pronunciation of names and gender pronouns:
“Unfortunately, Ms Rowling has misunderstood the protocol.
It does no more than allow lawyers and others to inform the court of the correct pronunciation of their name and their preferred gender pronoun so that proceedings are conducted respectfully. However, the presiding judicial officer retains control over all forms of address used in court.
For many decades, the courts of this State have taken every care to protect victims of crime and other vulnerable witnesses from the distress and trauma which might arise from their participation in a hearing. A victim of crime would never be asked to address an accused person in a way which caused the victim distress.
I would prefer that social media commentators took the time to properly inform themselves before pressing the send button, but my only concern is to assure the South Australian public that Ms Rowling’s anxiety is completely unfounded.
The protocol can be found at Practice Notes – General – CAA (courts.sa.gov.au).”
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