Yet another twist seems to be unfolding in the famed MegaUpload court case, as Judge David Harvey, one of the judges presiding in the case, has stepped down after remarks suggesting he thought the US was the "enemy" were made public earlier this week.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Judge Harvey decided to leave the case after he stated earlier this week at a conference about Internet copyright law, that "we have met the enemy and he is [the] U.S." Harvey was referring to a ongoing discussion between New Zealand and the US over a trade agreement, where better online copyright protection is one of the hot topics.
Harvey was supposed to preside over the extradition hearing of MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom in March 2013, but after these remarks this will not be the case. Jan-Marie Doogue, New Zealand's district court's chief judge,said in a statement: "He recognizes that remarks made in the context of a paper he delivered on copyright law at a recent internet conference could reflect on his impartiality and that the appropriate response is for him to step down from the case."
Judge Nevin Dawson will preside over the extradition hearing now. Judge Dawson had previously given Dotcom bail earlier in 2012.
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