The Supreme Court of Canada is always in the news. Whether the issue is Aboriginal fishing rights or the rights of same-sex couples, the Court often makes groundbreaking decisions on controversial topics.
This book, a history of the Canadian Supreme Court, explains how the court slowly emerged as the powerful and influential institution it is today. Using 1949 as the year of birth for the modern Supreme Court, Peter McCormick traces the court's development from an institution of relatively minor importance to one that is central to Canadian society. McCormick discusses key cases and looks at the lasting influence of each Chief Justice.
Supreme at Last is a unique portrait of a political institution whose power is on the rise.
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
1. The Rebirth of the Supreme Court
2. Under the Shadow: The Judicial Committee and the Supreme Court
3. The Rinfret Court: October 1949 to June 1954
"The Initiator"
4. The Kerwin Court: July 1954 to February 1963
"The Technician"
5. The Taschereau/Cartwright/Fauteux Court: April 1963 to December 1973
"The Caretakers"
6. The Laskin Court: December 1973 to March 1984
"The Revolutionary"
7. The Dickson Court: April 1984 to June 1990
"The Consolidator"
8. The Lamer Court: July 1990 to July 1999
"The Innovator"
9. The McLachlin Court: January 2000
"The Outsider"
The Supreme Court in the New Millennium
Notes
Sources
Acknowledgements
"[McCormick's useful, readable primer places the history of the court since 1949 in perspective and raises intriguing questions about its direction under Beverley McLachlin, its new chief justice."
- Christopher English Canadian Book Review Annual
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