wpengine | The ReeveLaw Blog

WE ARE STILL LIVING IN THE HARPER YEARS IN CRIMINAL LAW

Though receiving a strong mandate for change, the Liberals have failed to roll back the Harper criminal justice agenda. Source: Opinion: On criminal law reform, federal Liberals earn an F

ADVICE TO YOUNG LAWYERS – STAY IN COMMUNITY

Earlier this month, I was kindly invited by Jason Morris to speak (via Skype) to his “Coding The Law” class at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law. We had a great chat on a range of topics, but one in particular stood out for me and I wanted to Source: Law School Gets This …

Continue reading “ADVICE TO YOUNG LAWYERS – STAY IN COMMUNITY”

“A lack of modernization is leading to more delays in Ontario’s paper-based courts.” Paper and those damned CDs.

Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said in her annual report that delays are increasing in the justice system, but that her office was consistently denied access to information for their audit. Source: Judges and Ontario government ‘consistently hampered’ audit of justice system delays, auditor general says | The Star

IT IS CLEAR THAT THE AMERICAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS US HAS HARDENED AT THE BORDER – “If they just think you’re being sneaky, that’s all it takes,” to be given a 5-year ban. I wonder if it will get worse after the Trudeau video at NATO today.

Source: U.S. doubles number of 5-year bans on travellers from Canada | CBC News https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/12/04/trudeau-trump-viral-video/?fbclid=IwAR286MuBMuNRn98sVyJROZ3aws2lZ1c1xV-NYin9Hfm3PXwTkfMHhxu27MU

PLEASE, GOD, NOT THE LAWYERS!

IT IS A LEGAL ERROR TO CONNECT CREDIBILITY TO AN INTEREST IN SEX – This much should be clear to a Judge however the problem lies that now very few criminal trials are conducted at the Superior Court level and as such many of those judges do not have a lot of experience in conducting and navigating through difficult criminal trials.

The Ontario Court of Appeal chided Justice Gary Tranmer for ruling in a sexual-assault case that the complainant’s interest in sex reduced her credibility as a witness Source: Interest in sex does not affect a complainant’s credibility in a sexual-assault trial, Ontario Appeals Court rules

IMPAIRED? – The community responds in addition to relying on policing.

This holiday season, in more than 100 communities across the country, Operation Red Nose are getting impaired Canadians safely home Source: Motor Mouth: Too tipsy? These volunteers will get you home for free — in your own car

Ford confirms updates to judge, JP appointments process – call it what it is. This is nothing more than a blatant facilitation of corruption.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed on Thursday that his government will be “modernizing and updating” the way it appoints judges and justices of the peace. “I truly believe that (system) needs to be modernized, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Ford told reporters outside his office at Queen’s Park. Earlier this month, …

Continue reading “Ford confirms updates to judge, JP appointments process – call it what it is. This is nothing more than a blatant facilitation of corruption.”

DRIVE DRUNK TWICE IN QUEBEC, GET IGNITION BREATHALYZER FOR LIFE – The headline says it all and it is an interesting idea. I believe we can solve the problem of drunk driving with the economy of scale of mass production of ignition interlock devices and mandating their installation in every newly manufactured vehicle.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/drunk-driving-twice-quebec-breathalyzer-for-life-1.5369145

THE JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ADVISORY COUNCIL has done an excellent job and completely transformed Ontario’s judiciary resulting in diverse and highly qualified appointments. Now Doug Ford and Doug Downey “would reinstate a discredited process that hearkens back to a time when judicial appointments were handed out like loyalty prizes to cronies and ideological fellow travellers.” Thank you for speaking up and raising awareness, Michael Lacy.

Any notion that this plan would result in a pool of better or more-diverse judges is flat-out delusional. The conceit that a politician’s wisdom can supplant that of a diverse, highly experienced committee of judges, lawyers and public representatives is counterintuitive. The current system is already guaranteed to produce a list of top jurists. Source: …

Continue reading “THE JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ADVISORY COUNCIL has done an excellent job and completely transformed Ontario’s judiciary resulting in diverse and highly qualified appointments. Now Doug Ford and Doug Downey “would reinstate a discredited process that hearkens back to a time when judicial appointments were handed out like loyalty prizes to cronies and ideological fellow travellers.” Thank you for speaking up and raising awareness, Michael Lacy.”