A word to the wise: Read the complete terms of service.
Source: Ancestry.com takes DNA ownership rights from customers and their relatives
MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES INCREASE INJUSTICE. PERIOD.
News item: The federal Justice Department has hired a pollster to sound out Canadians on their appetite for criminal sentencing reform – a political “testing of the waters,” as it were.
Source: Globe editorial: You don’t need a poll to know mandatory minimum sentences are bad
MARIJUANA AND ORGANIZED CRIME – Organized crime’s interest in the illegal pot business is going up in smoke
It seems they’re being forced out of the market as it becomes, during this legal hiatus, occupied by a myriad of other suppliers. The coming government scheme will have to compete with an established market when they finally jump in.
There wasn’t much need to smuggle pot into the country when Canadian cannabis connoisseurs liked the homegrown stuff better, experts say.
Source: Organized crime’s interest in the illegal pot business is going up in smoke | Toronto Star
THE JUDICIAL BENCH STANDS STRONG – ‘Believe the victim’ has no place in courts
Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy said she could not rely on the complainant’s testimony, which she found inconsistent, implausible at times and contradicted by – on the key issue of her capacity to consent – video recordings and a toxicologist. “Although the slogan ‘Believe the victim’ has become popularized of late, it has no place in a criminal trial,”
Justice Anne Molloy, who presided over the case, said in her ruling that the rising movement to ‘believe the victim’ has no place in the courts
Source: ‘Believe the victim’ has no place in courts, judge says in sexual assault ruling
TO SERVE AND PROTECT – Police got caught with “their hand in the cookie jar”. No wonder they have an aversion to their conduct being recorded. No, you don’t have to give up your phone if you’re a witness.
It’s the video that shocked a city. Recorded by a citizen who says he feared for a man’s life while watching a Toronto Police Sergeant repeatedly taser and stomp on what appeared to be, an unresponsive, limp suspect, face down on the cold January pavement near Dundas Street East and Church Street. Waseem Khan, the […]
THE CANADIAN WAR ON DRUGS – Toronto marijuana arrests reveal ‘startling’ racial divide | Toronto Star
We bought into the American “war on drugs” hook, line and sinker and this is the result: “What it’s really done is criminalize an entire generation of young Black males, over something that’s now on the verge of being legal.” “So what we have is a situation where police officers benefited personally from the further marginalization of vulnerable Torontonians.”
Toronto police data obtained by the Star breaks down arrests by neighbourhood and shows disproportionate numbers for Black people when it comes to pot possession charges.
Source: Toronto marijuana arrests reveal ‘startling’ racial divide | Toronto Star
Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Newmarket, ON
I don’t know where this came from but I’ll take it. Pretty sure it’s not fake news
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Handpicked Top 3 Criminal Defense Lawyers in Newmarket, ON. How can we actually say this? ThreeBestRated.ca 50-Point Inspection includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, reviews, ratings, satisfaction, trust and cost to the general excellence.
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SCREENING OF POLICE CHARGES – Courts most crowded in provinces where police lay charges without Crown’s help
In Ontario, police lay charges and send them to the Crown Attorney to prosecute. Overcharging is intentional in expectation of Crown screening after the fact and to allow for the expected negotiations between the Crown and defence.
Nearly half of all criminal charges in Ontario are withdrawn or tossed out before trial, according to new research, prompting calls for reforms to how charges are laid.
Source: Courts most crowded in provinces where police lay charges without Crown’s help
Lessons Learned in Criminal Law – Slaw
Good advice. Period.
1. Be nice.
2. Invest in your reputation.
3. Stay for coffee.
4. Find mentors, great and small.
5. Prepare prepare prepare
6. Own your mistakes.
7. Just keep learning.
I recently read Adam Dodek’s post for Slaw entitled “Letter to A Future Lawyer” where he provides some great words of advice to those being called to the bar. The piece reminded me of a document that I kept on my laptop during my ar