Law profs throw their weight behind Legal Aid boycott
Here is the story from the Globe. On one side, we have a potential boost for access to justice at the cost of a definite short-term harm to the rights of the accused. On the other, it’s…
Pulat Yunusov
What country has the strongest civil liberties?
There is a lively discussion on Slashdot about which countries are best for civil liberties and privacy. It all started when someone from the UK said s/he was unhappy with growing restrictions and wanted to…
Is international law a legal system?
Some time in the future, when I weigh all the things Osgoode did to me, the Jurisprudence class I took last year will definitely add a ton to the good-things side of the scales. Taught…
Canadian courts and national security
Here is an interesting article from Ottawa Citizen related to my today’s post about Abdelrazik.
Abdelrazik is due back in Canada on Saturday
Abdelrazik’s lawyer, Yavar Hameed, is going to Sudan to bring his client back to Canada (CBC story). A Foreign Affairs official will accompany them on the way back. Justice Zinn of Federal Court previously ordered that Abdelrazik appear…
A reasonable person’s standard
CBC reports today that a judge in Saskatchevan acquitted a woman who gave birth in a Wal-Mart’s washroom. According to April Dawn Halkett, 22, “the birth happened very quickly and … the child did not look…
Movies about law 1
I watched The People vs. Larry Flynt for the first time yesterday. Definitely, 4 out of 5. Look for scenes at trials and in the US Supreme Court. The film raises interesting points about evidence…
Police and the Internet
The government introduced two bills in the House on Thursday that raised some serious allegations in the media this week. The bills concern, among other things, police access to data collected by Canadian internet service…
Ottawa promises to comply on Abdelrazik
Big news: Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced today that the government will let Abdelrazik return to Canada. It is not clear what exactly Ottawa will do to comply with a court order to make “travel…
Who is to blame?
What is it about criminal cases that attracts so much attention of the public? Is it their thou-shall-not nature that many people associate with law in general? Or is it our fear of crime and…
The law of apology
Letterman apologizes to Palin, Raitt to cancer-affected people, Baird to Toronto. It seems sorry doesn’t seem to be the hardest word lately. Just search Google News for “sorry“, “apologizes“, or “regrets.” But what are the…
More on Abdelrazik
I wrote previously that this Friday would be a turning point in the Abdelrazik case. His lawyers agree and predict contempt of court charges for the government if it fails to act. Another possibility is…