The Supreme Court has granted the Urewera 18 leave to appeal [PDF] over their right to have their case heard by a jury. Good. The decision to deny them a jury trial is a travesty of justice. If it is allowed to stand, it will not only fatally undermine the credibility of this trial, but of the justice system as a whole. And regardless of what you think of this case, that is not a Good Thing.
The trial itself is scheduled to begin on May 30. I'm not sure whether it will now be delayed, pending the appeal, or whether the Supreme Court will hold an expedited hearing in order to allow the trial to start on time.
