Ellen France
{{Short description|New Zealand jurist (born 1956)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Ellen France DNZM (cropped).jpg
| caption = France in 2016
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Dame Ellen France
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|DNZM|size=100}}
| office = Justice of the Supreme Court
| term_start = 22 July 2016
| term_end =
| predecessor = Sir John McGrath
| successor =
| order1 = President of the Court of Appeal
| term_start1 = 2014
| term_end1 = 2016
| predecessor1 = Sir Mark O'Regan
| successor1 = Stephen Kós
| birth_name = Ellen Dolour Larkin
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = Simon France
| alma_mater = University of Auckland
}}
Dame Ellen Dolour France {{post-nominals|country=NZL|DNZM}} (née Larkin; born 1956) is a New Zealand jurist. She is currently a justice of the Supreme Court to which she was appointed in 2016, and was previously the president of the Court of Appeal.
Biography
Ellen Dolour Larkin was born to parents who were both teachers. She graduated LLB from the University of Auckland in 1981, and obtained her Master of Laws degree from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, in 1983.{{cite press release|last=Finlayson|first=Christopher|authorlink=Chris Finlayson|date=20 June 2014|title=New Supreme Court and Court of Appeal appointments|url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-supreme-court-and-court-appeal-appointments|location=Wellington|publisher=Government of New Zealand|accessdate=6 June 2016}} From 1982, she worked as a solicitor for the Auckland practice of Subritzky, Tetley Jones & Way.
From 1984, France was a legal adviser in the Department of Justice Law Reform Division, followed by work for the Crown Law Office.{{cite web|title=The Judges of the Court of Appeal|url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/about/appeal/judges|publisher=Courts of New Zealand|accessdate=6 June 2016}}
In 2002, France was appointed to the High Court in Auckland. She received her appointment as a judge to the Court of Appeal in June 2006. She was appointed president of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand with effect from 1 September 2014, succeeding Sir Mark O'Regan. She made history in August 2015 when the Appeal Court bench was made up by three women when she sat with Justice Christine French and Justice Helen Winkelmann.{{cite news |title=Milestone for Court of Appeal – an all women bench|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11493757|accessdate=6 June 2016|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=7 August 2015}}
In the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours, France was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the judiciary.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-90th-birthday-honours-list-2016 |title=Queen's 90th Birthday honours list 2016 |date=6 June 2016 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=25 March 2018}}
France's late husband, Simon France, was a judge of the Court of Appeal until just prior to his death in 2023.{{cite web |last1=Winkelmann |first1=Dame Helen |title=Chief Justice pays tribute to Simon France |url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/media-releases/2023/20230411-CJ-statement-the-Hon-Simon-France.pdf |website=Courts of New Zealand |publisher=The Office of the Chief Justice |access-date=10 April 2023}} They met in their first year at Auckland University Law School in the late 1970s.{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Rachel|title= Damehoods for Karen Sewell QSO and Justice Ellen France |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/80700015/Damehoods-for-Karen-Sewell-QSO-and-Justice-Ellen-France|accessdate=6 June 2016|work=The Dominion Post}}{{cite web|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/128835506/appealing-a-court-decision-chances-are-it-will-go-before-a-france |title= Appealing a court decision chances are it will go before a France |publisher= Stuff/Fairfax |date=18 June 2022}}
References
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Category:University of Auckland alumni
Category:Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Category:Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges
Category:Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Category:Supreme Court of New Zealand judges