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Amy Baker Benjamin
Born1965 (age 58–59)
California, U.S.
Academic background
Education
Academic work
Sub-disciplineInternational law
InstitutionsAuckland University of Technology (2016–2021)

Amy Baker Benjamin (born 1965) is an American lawyer and former New Zealand-based academic focusing on international law. She has attracted media attention for her political views and has been described as a conspiracy theorist.[1][2][3]

Background

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Benjamin was born and raised in the San Francisco, California area.[4] She attended Princeton University as an undergraduate, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in history, and earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1993.[5]

Career

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After graduation, Benjamin clerked for Stephen Breyer, then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Department of Justice in the Southern District of New York.[4][6]

In 2016, Benjamin was hired as a lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology Law School.[7] During this time, she published five scholarly articles, with topics discussed including purported United States regime change efforts in Libya and Syria, the United States' relationship with the United Nations, and governmental secrecy.[8][9] In one 2017 article, "9/11 As False Flag: Why International Law Must Dare to Care", published in the African Journal of International and Comparative Law, Benjamin asserted her belief that the September 11th attacks were a false flag event orchestrated by the United States government.[10] While a lecturer, Benjamin also appeared as a commentator on various news shows in New Zealand, including The Project and Newshub.[10][11]

Benjamin made headlines in August 2021 for denouncing lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a "crime against humanity", being one of the few academics to publicly criticize New Zealand's pandemic policies.[12] She subsequently created controversy in November 2021 after claiming, in an interview with conspiracy theorist Vinny Eastwood, that the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings were a false flag.[13] Having resigned from her teaching position in September 2021, Benjamin left Auckland University of Technology effective January 2022.[14]

Benjamin publicly supported Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election and has stated that the election was stolen.[15][16][17] She was profiled in a 2022 Stuff documentary, Fire and Fury, about disinformation in New Zealand.[1][2] The original version of the documentary falsely stated that Benjamin had resigned from AUT following her interview with Vinny Eastwood.[18] Stuff later issued a retraction and apology.[19]

A play written by Benjamin, We, Macbeth, was performed at London's Theatro Technis in 2014.[8][20][21]

Journal articles

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  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (October 1, 1993). "The Jurisdictional Implications of a Mens Rea Approach to Insanity: Plugging the "Detainment Gap" after Foucha v, Louisiana". University of Dayton Law Review. 19 (1): 41–82.
  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (September 25, 2015). "To Wreck a State: The New International Crime". New Criminal Law Review. 19 (2): 208–235. doi:10.1525/nclr.2016.19.2.208. SSRN 2665893.
  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (July 26, 2017). "9/11 as False Flag: Why International Law Must Dare to Care". African Journal of International and Comparative Law. 25 (3): 371–392. doi:10.3366/ajicl.2017.0200. hdl:10292/10739. SSRN 3009498.
  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (September 18, 2017). "The Many Faces of Secrecy". William & Mary Policy Review. 8 (2): 1–49. SSRN 3038640.
  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (May 24, 2018). "Syria: The Unbearable Lightness of Intervention". Wisconsin International Law Journal. 35 (3): 515–548. SSRN 4684631.
  • Benjamin, Amy Baker (December 20, 2019). "Globalists and the Corruption of Sources". Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. 48 (1): 87–155. SSRN 3507762.

References

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  1. ^ a b Sowman-Lund, Stewart (August 22, 2022). "The subjects of Stuff's Fire and Fury are furious". The Spinoff. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Donnell, Hayden (August 18, 2022). "A conundrum over how to cover the conspiracists". RNZ. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Manhire, Toby (December 11, 2023). "Winston Peters' rabbit hole problem". The Spinoff. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Abstracts and Biographies" (PDF). Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand. 2017. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "Amy Benjamin – About". Auckland University of Technology. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Mora, Jim (April 23, 2017). "Amy Baker Benjamin: Will the real Trump foreign policy please stand up?". RNZ. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "NEWS FROM AUT LAW SCHOOL SUMMER 2016" (PDF). AUT. 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b "Amy Benjamin – Publications". Auckland University of Technology. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "Systemic secrecy revealed". AUT. June 11, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Farrar, David (June 5, 2017). "A law lecturer who is a 9/11 truther". Kiwiblog. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Peacock, Colin (November 6, 2020). "Trump v Biden turns into Trump v democracy". RNZ. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Scott, Matthew (August 19, 2021). "'Probably a crime against humanity' – AUT law lecturer denounces lockdown". Newsroom. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  13. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (November 19, 2021). "AUT academic calls Christchurch attack a 'false flag', resigns". NZ Herald. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Weir, Elliot (November 19, 2021). "Departing AUT lecturer makes false Covid, mosque attack claims". Stuff. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  15. ^ George, Damian; Lourens, Marine; Franks, Josephine; Rilkoff, Matthew; Tso, Matthew (January 7, 2021). "'It breaks my heart': Americans in New Zealand stunned by Capitol building riots". Stuff. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  16. ^ Satherley, Dan; Turton, Emma (January 8, 2021). "US Election: NZ-based academic says Donald Trump not to blame for Capitol riots, says NZ should butt out". Newshub. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Castagna, Mathilde; Keogh, Brittany (November 2, 2020). "US election: Kiwi-Americans divided along party lines, united in fear". Stuff. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Longbottom, Toby (director) (August 25, 2022). Fire and Fury (Documentary). New Zealand: Stuff. Event occurs at 1:03:15.
  19. ^ "Retraction and apology concerning former AUT academic Amy Baker Benjamin". Stuff. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  20. ^ "We, Macbeth, Theatro Technis – Review". Everything Theatre. January 26, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  21. ^ Loxton, Howard (January 20, 2014). "Theatre review: We, Macbeth at Theatro Technis". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
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