Latest news with #Stary
The Age
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘Sucker for a good cause': Melbourne legal legends sign up for Palestinian student activists
The University of Melbourne's new-ish vice chancellor, Emma Johnston, made a little history when she officially punted two pro-Palestine protesters from the august institution after the students and about 16 of their mates stormed and occupied the office of Jewish academic Steven Prawer last year. But as they say in the classics, this ain't over yet. The two unnamed students – another two were suspended over their October 2024 stunt – were given 30 days to appeal Johnston's decision and have already attracted some legal heavyweights. But there's just one teensy-tiny issue. Legal eagle Greg Barns, no stranger to these matters, having acted as an adviser to Wikileaks ex-con Julian Assange, and in a lengthy list of right-on causes, has teamed-up with Victorian criminal law legend and former magistrate Rob Stary to add some heft to the students' legal crusade. Stary's list of former clients is, well, quite something. We've got 'Jihad' Jack Thomas, who was the first Australian to be convicted under the post-9/11 terrorism laws, Assange – him again – and even Melbourne gangland figures Tony Mokbel and the late Carl Williams. The high-profile legal pair are joined by fellow bar-table veteran Leonard Hartnett, who celebrates 50 years in the wig-and-gown game this year, and pro-Palestine legal sister act Bernadette and Ran Zaydan, who established their Watermelon Defence Fund, which, well, the name says it all. (The melon's colours match those of the Palestinian flag.) Stary said he became involved after the other lawyers contacted him, but he told CBD he was approaching his task with some gusto. 'Always a sucker for a good cause,' he said. And that teensy-tiny issue? Uni rules state that the students have no right of representation in the appeals process, so their near-basketball squad of legal advisers is, at this stage anyway, just that.
Business Wire
06-05-2025
- Business Wire
Supreme Court of Texas Issues Unanimous Ruling in Favor of Houston Mother in Landmark Parental Rights Case
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Supreme Court of Texas has issued a unanimous opinion protecting parental rights in the landmark case of a Houston woman whose parental rights were effectively terminated via a lifetime protective order. The ruling reverses a judgment handed down by a Harris County district court judge in 2020 that granted a lifetime protective order against Christine Stary on behalf of her three minor children. The order came about five months after Ms. Stary was accused of injuring her youngest child in an incident at her home, but criminal charges stemming from the incident were dismissed. Holly Draper, CEO and managing partner of The Draper Law Firm, represented Ms. Stary before the state's highest court in tandem with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, on behalf of the Family Freedom Project, which works on legislation and cases that impact the right of families to raise their children. Ms. Draper argued that the order granted against Ms. Stary violated her client's constitutional rights because it prohibited her from having any contact with her children forever without meeting the required level of evidence. Ms. Stary also was barred from raising evidence of domestic violence committed by her ex-husband. The Supreme Court's opinion delivered by Justice Jane Bland says in part, "We hold that constitutional due process requires clear and convincing evidence to support a protective order prohibiting contact between a parent and her children under the statute authorizing protective orders of longer than two years." Ms. Draper said, 'My client lost almost five years of time with her children due to this unconstitutional protective order, and she can never get that back. She is thrilled with the court's ruling and looks forward to the opportunity to build back a relationship with her children. With this ruling, no parent will have their rights terminated without the constitutionally protected standard of clear and convincing evidence.' You can read the Supreme Court of Texas opinion on this case here. About The Draper Law Firm The Draper Law Firm is a family law boutique in North Texas. Its attorneys handle family law cases in all DFW counties and represent family law clients in appeals statewide. The firm previously prevailed in the Supreme Court of Texas in one of the biggest parental rights cases in Texas history, In re C.J.C. To learn more, visit
