We talk about the Persons Case, a 1929 Canadian constitutional case that decided women were "qualified persons" within the meaning of the British North America Act. Sources for this episode: Robert Sharpe and Patricia McMahon, The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood (Toronto: 2007 ..read more

Dalhousie Law School was the first "university law school" in the British Empire, and became a model for legal education in Canada. We dig into what made it so innovative. Key sources for this episode: John Willis, A History of Dalhousie Law School (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1979 ..read more

Today we discuss the trial of Kurt Meyer, a German SS officer accused of murdering Canadian soldiers during the Second World War. Secondary sources : Patrick Brode, Casual Slaughters and Accidental Judgments: Canadian War Crimes Prosecutions, 1944-1948 (Toronto: 1997), available for purchase on the Osgoode Society website ..read more

Today's episode is about the R.D.S. case and the treatment of racism in Canada's courts. Key secondary sources for this episode: Constance Backhouse, Reckoning with Racism: Police, Judges, and the RDS Case (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2022) - available for purchase on the Osgoode Society website ..read more

Today we welcome guest host Nicole Spadotto to the podcast to discuss Douglas Abbott, the last overtly "political" Supreme Court of Canada appointee, and a committed Parliamentarian. Sources for today's episode: Ian Bushnell, The Captive Court: A Study of the Supreme Court of Canada (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1992). Peter McCormick, Supreme at Last: The Evolution of the Supreme Court of Canada (Toronto: Lorimer, 2000 ..read more

Today we dig into the case of Evelyn Dick, an Ontario woman who stood trial for the murders of her husband and child. The case was a cause célèbre in the 1940s, and it highlights how criminal trials used to work in Canada before the enactment of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Key secondary source for this episode: George Finlayson J.A., John J. Robinette: Peerless Mentor: An Appreciation. (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2003) - available for purchase on the Osgoode Society website ..read more

Today we explore the history of the Labrador border dispute - one of the longest-running disputes between the Canadian provinces. It goes back to the earliest days of European settlement, and still simmers today. A helpful map of Labrador can be found here, for reference ..read more

F.R. Scott is one of Canada's most celebrated 20th century legal thinkers and civil libertarians. Today we explore his life and contributions, including his involvement in the landmark case Roncarelli v. Duplessis. Key secondary sources for this episode: Sandra Djwa, The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F.R. Scott (McClelland & Stewart, 1987)  R.C.B. Risk, A History of Canadian Legal Thought (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006) - available for purchase on the Osgoode Society website ..read more

Today's episode is about John Anderson, an enslaved man charged with killing someone during his escape to Canada. His extradition case set off a political firestorm, with ramifications for Canada's place within the British Empire, and its commitment to anti-slavery ideals. Today's episode was recorded "on location," in the courtroom of Osgoode Hall where Mr. Anderson's case was heard. A huge thanks to the staff of Osgoode Hall for helping to make today's episode happen. Key secondary sources for this episode: Patrick Brode, The Odyssey of John Anderson (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1 ..read more

Today we cover the Gouzenko Affair, the story of a Soviet clerk whose defection to Canada set off an international incident, and marked an important milestone in Canada's constitutional history. Key secondary sources for this episode: Amy Knight, How the Cold War Began (Basic Books, 2007). For more on the Gouzenko affair and state trials in Canada, see the forthcoming Osgoode Society book: J. Barry Wright, Susan Binnie and Eric Tucker, eds., Canadian State Trials Volume V: World War, Cold War and Challenges to Sovereignty, 1939-1990 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022) - available f ..read more