Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson (born 22 December 1955) is a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

n judge. He sits on the

Supreme Court of Samoa The Supreme Court of Samoa () is the superior court dealing with the administration of justice in Samoa. It was established by Part VI of the Constitution of Samoa. It consists of the chief justice of Samoa and other judges as appointed by the h ...

, and was the first Pacific Islands judge appointed to the United Nations

Committee on the Rights of the Child The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a body of experts that monitor and report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The committee also monitors the convention's three optional protoco ...

. Nelson was born in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

, and educated at St. Joseph's College in Samoa and

Timaru Boys' High School Timaru Boys' High School (also known as TBHS), established in 1880, is a single sex state (public) secondary school located in the port city of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. TBHS caters for years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 19 years). At t ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He studied law at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand, graduating in 1977. He returned to Samoa in 1979, where he worked for the Office of the Attorney General and then in private practice. In 2000 he was appointed to the District Court of Samoa, becoming Senior District Court Judge in 2001. In 2006 he was appointed to the

. As a supreme court judge he decided the case of ''Police v Vailopa''

009 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight ...

which set requirements for police interviews of child suspects. He also advocated for the creation of a sex offender's registry in Samoa, resulting eventually in the passage of the Sex Offenders Registration Act in 2018. In 2014 Vui became the first Pacific Islands judge appointed to the United Nations

. He was appointed for a second four-year term in 2018. In this role he criticised the Samoan government's attempted re-introduction of

corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...

in schools. In 2019 following the retirement of Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu he was appointed acting

Chief Justice of Samoa The chief justice of Samoa () is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa. The qualifications and powers of the office are governed by Part VI of the Constitution of Samoa and the Judicature Ordinance 1961. The position is currently held ...

. He served in that role for almost a year before the appointment of

Satiu Simativa Perese Satiu Simativa Perese (born 1962) is a Samoan judge. He has served as the Chief Justice of Samoa since 12 June 2020. Perese was born in Magiagi, Samoa and educated at Magiagi Primary School. His family moved to New Zealand when he was a child. ...

as Chief Justice in March 2020. On 30 November 2021 he was appointed as Senior Judge of the Supreme Court. In April 2023 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Canterbury.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Vui Clarence Joseph Living people 1955 births People from Apia Samoan judges Samoan lawyers University of Canterbury alumni Samoan judges of international courts and tribunals People educated at Timaru Boys' High School University of Canterbury Faculty of Law alumni