A law professor in Auckland says Nauru's expulsion of a magistrate and barring of its chief judge is a terrible look that needs explanation.
Magistrate Peter Law was sacked on Sunday and deported back to Australia while Chief Justice Geoffrey Eames' visa has been withdrawn.
The sacking follows a recent huge hike in the cost of journalists' visas to Nauru.
Bill Hodge, of Auckland University, says the telltale signs of a good rule of law system is the independence of a country's judiciary.
"It would appear that in this case that A, not only does the executives in Government not want judges to do their job but B they do not want anyone outside to see that so it is, in appearance, an absolutely terrible look and I am awaiting some explanation."
Bill Hodge says he looks forward to open and transparent justice being restored to Nauru.
The Australian Government says it is seeking to clarify the facts surrounding the deportation of Peter Law and the cancellation of Geoffrey Eames's visa.
