Those who have seen Louis Theroux's BBC documentary, The Most Hated Family in America, and wondered whether Westboro Baptist Church was inevitably headed for a lawsuit, were vindicated when Albert Snyder finally brought the infamous Phelps family to court after they protested at the funeral of his son. Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was killed […]
Another Weekend Out-on-the-Town Timmothy Field, an ordinary 18 year-old Calgary teen, was out partying with friends on a Friday night. They went to two clubs, and then went back to his residence where they were drinking and playing video games until 4am. He and his friends left early that Saturday morning at 8:30am with little […]
Canada Pulling Its Weight In Libya As a ‘coalition of the willing’, including members from Europe and the Arab League, began enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya last week, Canada wouldn’t be left out. The no-fly zone was agreed upon internationally and embodied in UN Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1973. Interestingly, although deciding not to […]
After weeks of mounting speculation, TheCourt.ca's editorial team is proud to present the winners of its second annual Golden Gavel awards! The illustrious Golden Gavels, previously called the OZZYs, recognize the most significant developments in Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence. To recap, Golden Gavels are awarded in the following categories: Criminal Judgment of the Year […]
Advocates for a national securities regulator in Canada will be disappointed with the Alberta Court of Appeal’s decision in favour of the provincial opponents in the Reference re Securities Act (Canada), 2011 ABCA 77. The Court of Appeal found that the federal government does not have the constitutional authority to regulate securities under the proposed Securities […]
NPR Woes It’s been a rough two weeks for U.S. National Public Radio. Following a hidden-camera prank lunch by conservative prankster James O’Keefe in which NPR executives Ron and Vivian Schiller were caught slighting the Tea Party, both members were forced to resign based on their personal statements’ perceived left-wing bias. As a result, Republicans have successfully […]
A possible misstatement by a British Columbia trial judge has led to the order of a new trial in R. v. Sue, 2011 BCCA 91. In the decision released March 2, the majority of the B.C. Court of Appeal ("BCCA") found that the erroneous statement made by the Provincial Court's Judge Bagnall, who said that […]
A common law relationship is when two people live together in a marriage-like relationship. The two people can be of the same sex or the opposite sex. For Ontario family law purposes, you must cohabitate for 3 years, or have a child and a relationship of some permanence. Despite the decreased rate of marriage and […]
Facts & Background: What started out as a normal night out in 2004 turned quickly into a tragedy. There was a bush party on the Penticton Indian reserve in British Columbia, and many of the partygoers were under the influence, with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in full supply. Dustin Paul was 23 years old, high […]
U.S. Patent Reform Is Near On Tuesday, the United States Senate overwhelmingly approved a patent reform bill by a 95-5 vote. The bill still needs to be passed by the House of Representatives before it can be enacted. If approved, the bill will represent the first significant changes to the U.S. patent system in nearly […]