2015 has been a particularly significant year for the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) in a number of ways, and indeed, TheCourt.ca’s editorial staff has been kept quite busy. Part I of this year-in-review post will summarize the activity of the SCC and the comings and goings of Justices and staff. Part II will discuss […]
2015 has been a particularly significant year for the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) in a number of ways, and indeed, TheCourt.ca’s editorial staff has been kept quite busy. Part I of this year-in-review post will summarize the activity of the SCC and the comings and goings of Justices and staff. Part II will discuss […]
In the United States, one issue that gets increasingly discussed in the context of presidential elections is the potential for the elected president to make appointments to the Supreme Court. In the deeply divided American Supreme Court, even one appointment can have a significant impact on the orientation of the Court, especially when it is […]
The Metis and non-status Indians of Canada have fallen through the cracks of this country. Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada livestreamed their hearing of Harry Daniels v The Queen [Daniels], a case that may bring some relief to Canada’s “forgotten people” (in the words of Ian Cowie, one of the appellants’ witnesses). Daniels has […]
On January 14, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) heard oral arguments for the case Her Majesty the Queen v Jason Rodgerson [Rodgerson] regarding: firstly, whether or not the majority of the Ontario Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) in R v Rodgerson, 2014 ONCA 366 [Rodgerson, ONCA] erred in law by finding reversible error in […]
Early on a rainy morning, I arrived to the Supreme Court of Canada and was lucky enough to be able to watch the Carter v Canada (Attorney General) [Carter] appeal. In this case, several plaintiffs challenged the Criminal Code provisions prohibiting physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia under sections 7 and 15 of the Charter. […]
After two trials and cycles through the appellate court system, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has dismissed the appeal in R v Hutchinson, 2014 SCC 19 [Hutchinson]. Building on the decision in R v Mabior, [2012] 2 SCR 584 [Mabior], the Court in Hutchinson further clarified the law surrounding consent to sexual activity, holding that […]
In R v Babos, 2014 SCC 16 [Babos], the issue was whether the Crown misconduct, in the form of intimidation and threats, was severe enough to warrant a stay of proceedings for the accused. A 6-1 majority of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has held that prosecutorial misconduct or abuse of process must be […]
To end its 2013 sessions, the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") released its judgment in Canada (Attorney General) v Bedford, [2013] 3 SCR 1101 [Bedford], effectively striking down all of the current laws restricting to autonomous prostitution. I released a preliminary post summarizing the legal basis for the judgment shortly after the decision was released, here. Writing […]
In a surprising turn of events, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) released its judgment in Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford, 2013 SCC 72 [Bedford] as its final case before the holiday break, effectively striking down all of the current laws pertaining to autonomous prostitution. Writing for a unanimous court, Chief Justice McLachlin held that […]