Amy Benjamin Explained

Amy Baker Benjamin
Birth Place:California, U.S.
Sub Discipline:International law
Workplaces:Auckland 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

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

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. 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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sowman-Lund . Stewart . The subjects of Stuff's Fire and Fury are furious . The Spinoff . 2022-08-22 . 2023-12-27.
  2. Web site: Donnell . Hayden . A conundrum over how to cover the conspiracists . RNZ . 2022-08-18 . 2023-12-27.
  3. Web site: Manhire . Toby . Winston Peters' rabbit hole problem . The Spinoff . 2023-12-11 . 2024-01-01.
  4. Web site: Abstracts and Biographies . Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand . 2017 . 2023-12-27 . December 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227221230/https://www.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/320032/2017-lsaanz-full-abstracts-and-speaker-biographies-670430.pdf . bot: unknown .
  5. Web site: Amy Benjamin – About . Auckland University of Technology . https://archive.today/20211119102723/https://academics.aut.ac.nz/amy.benjamin . dead . 2023-12-27 . 2021-11-19.
  6. Web site: Jim . Mora . Amy Baker Benjamin: Will the real Trump foreign policy please stand up? . RNZ . 2017-04-23 . 2023-12-27.
  7. Web site: NEWS FROM AUT LAW SCHOOL SUMMER 2016 . AUT . 2016 . 2023-12-27 . February 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210224114311/https://www.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/102871/AUTLaw-Newsletter-2016-Summer.pdf . bot: unknown .
  8. Web site: Amy Benjamin – Publications . Auckland University of Technology . https://archive.today/20211119103149/https://academics.aut.ac.nz/amy.benjamin/publications . dead . 2023-12-27 . 2021-11-19.
  9. Web site: Systemic secrecy revealed . AUT . 2018-06-11 . 2023-12-28.
  10. Web site: Farrar . David . A law lecturer who is a 9/11 truther . Kiwiblog . 2017-06-05 . 2023-12-28.
  11. Web site: Trump v Biden turns into Trump v democracy . Colin . Peacock . RNZ . 2020-11-06 . 2023-12-28.
  12. Web site: Scott . Matthew . 'Probably a crime against humanity' – AUT law lecturer denounces lockdown . Newsroom . 2021-08-19 . 2023-12-28.
  13. Web site: Sowman-Lund . Stewart . AUT academic calls Christchurch attack a 'false flag', resigns . NZ Herald . 2021-11-19 . 2023-12-28.
  14. Web site: Elliot . Weir . Departing AUT lecturer makes false Covid, mosque attack claims . Stuff . 2021-11-19 . 2023-12-28.
  15. Web site: George . Damian . Lourens . Marine . Franks . Josephine . Rilkoff . Matthew . Tso . Matthew . 'It breaks my heart': Americans in New Zealand stunned by Capitol building riots . Stuff . 2021-01-07 . 2023-12-28.
  16. News: Dan . Satherley . Emma . Turton . US Election: NZ-based academic says Donald Trump not to blame for Capitol riots, says NZ should butt out . Newshub . 2021-01-08 . 2023-12-28.
  17. Web site: Castagna . Mathilde . Brittany . Keogh . US election: Kiwi-Americans divided along party lines, united in fear . Stuff . 2020-11-02 . 2023-12-28.
  18. Longbottom, Toby (director) . August 25, 2022 . Fire and Fury . Documentary . New Zealand . Stuff . 1:03:15.
  19. Web site: Retraction and apology concerning former AUT academic Amy Baker Benjamin . 2024-06-17 . Stuff . 2024-06-17.
  20. Web site: We, Macbeth, Theatro Technis – Review . Everything Theatre . January 26, 2014 . December 27, 2023.
  21. Web site: Loxton . Howard . Theatre review: We, Macbeth at Theatro Technis . British Theatre Guide . January 20, 2014 . December 27, 2023.

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