Sir John Joseph McGrath (10 March 1945 – 19 October 2018) was a judge of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of New Zealand, serving in that role from 2005 until 2015.Hon Justice McGrath, Final Sitting Speech, Friday 6 March 2015
(Retrieved 13 March 2015) He was also a judge of the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

from 2000 to 2005, and the Solicitor-General of New Zealand from 1989 to 2000.

Career

Born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, McGrath attended

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in ...

and graduated with an LL.M. from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

in 1968. He was a partner in Buddle Findlay, in Wellington, until he moved to the separate bar in 1984. He became

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1987 and he was Solicitor-General between 1989 and 2000. McGrath was appointed to the Court of Appeal in July 2000 and to the Supreme Court in May 2005. In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the Appeal and Supreme Courts. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, following the re-introduction of titular honours by the New Zealand government, McGrath accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. McGrath died in Wellington on 19 October 2018 at the age of 73."Sir John McGrath has died", New Zealand Law Society, 23 October 2018
(Retrieved 23 October 2018)

References

Sources

''National Business Review'', Arise Sir... or Dame... for 70 on honours list
by Nevil Gibson, 1 August 2009 (accessed 8:17PM 1 November 2009)
kiwisfirst.co.nz
Profile
Hon Justice McGrath, Final Sitting Speech, Friday 6 March 2015
(Retrieved 13 March 2015) 1945 births 2018 deaths Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Victoria University of Wellington alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Supreme Court of New Zealand judges Solicitors-general of New Zealand New Zealand King's Counsel Lawyers from Wellington City People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School 21st-century New Zealand judges {{NewZealand-law-bio-stub