Law and Society Commons^™

Student Freedom Of Expression: Violent Content And The Safe School Balance, A. Wayne Mackay, Janet Burt-Gerrans

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The authors begin with a discussion of of the duality in how children are viewed in both international and domestic law. Children are viewed as both under the protection and authority of adults, at the same time as being rights bearing individuals. Following recognition of the difficult tension created by this duality, these authors focus on its application in the balancing of the safe school environment with student freedom of expression. In particular these authors examine cases and scenarios that highlight the complex relationships that result when student expression contains violent content. This timely examination gives consideration to the contemporary …

Queering Legal Education: A Project Of Theoretical Discovery, Kim Brooks, Debra Parkes

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The article has two parts. Part II discusses the materials we reviewed to inform the development of a queer legal pedagogy. In particular, it examines the categories of queer legal scholarship and highlights the contributions of other outsider scholars to legal education debates. Early in our research, we found limited material on queer legal pedagogy, and we discovered nothing that posited a theoretical approach. We did, however, find rich resources written by other outsiders to law from which some design principles for queer legal pedagogy might be drawn. We should note at the outset that our goal in this Part …

Finding A Sense Of Self In The World: A Process For Overcoming Personal And Collective Alienation After Institutional Abuse, Seetal Kaur Sunga

LLM Theses

The author examines three aspects of dispute resolution involving cases of physical and sexual abuse in institutions and other environments. She focuses on judicial and alternative processes that deal with identity formation, empowerment and monetary compensation. She argues that sexual abuse and physical abuse create specific harms to the identity and power of abused persons. These harms should be addressed through a process that can allow for identity-formation and re-configuration of the power relationship between the parties. The author concludes that judicial processes recognize identity formation that occurs outside the legal arena, and are capable of recognizing the power of …

The Law And Politics Of "Might": An Internal Critique Of Hutch's Hopeful Hunch, Richard Devlin Frsc

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Some of my friends tell me that, as a general proposition, as men get older they become more conservative, but as women get older they become more radical. Allan Hutchinson's new book, It's All in the Game, tells us little about the latter, but it does seem to confirm the former. For almost twenty five years, Allan Hutchinson has been a very high profile "North American crit." There is little doubt that he has been Canada's most prolific and outspoken critical legal scholar. He has been a master trasher, combining powerful critical analytical skills with a wicked wit and …

Reducing The Democratic Deficit: Representation, Diversity, And The Canadian Judiciary, Or Towards A "Triple P" Judiciary, Richard Devlin Frsc, A. Wayne Mackay, Natasha Kim

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The authors review the current structures for judicial appointments in Canada and provide statistical information about the results of these mechanisms in respect to diversity of representation on the courts. They are also critical of the fairness and openness of judicial appointments processes. After examining several variants of the dominant liberal view of law and of judges, the authors proffer and articulate a neo-realist theory of law and what they term a "bungee cord theory of judging." According to the former, law is inevitably a form of politics; according to the latter, judges are unavoidably political actors. In consequence, the …

Redressing The Imbalances: Rethinking The Judicial Role After R. V. R.D.S., Richard Devlin Frsc, Dianne Pothier

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. R.D.S. dealt with whether a trial judge's comments, about the interactions between police officers and "non-white groups", gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias in the circumstances. They strongly criticize the contrary ruling of the dissent as inappropriately drawing a false dichotomy between decisions based on evidence and decisions based on evidence and decision based on generalizations, and as improperly ignoring social context with an unwarranted confidence in the ideology of colour blindness. While more supportive of the majority's analysis, the authors also find cause for concern, with …

Egregious Inaction: Five Years After 'Of Life And Death', Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In November 1999, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology was authorized to examine and report upon developments since the release of Of Life and Death, the final report of the Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. A subcommittee to update Of Life and Death was therefore established. On February 14, 2000, I participated in the first panel of witnesses before this subcommittee. In light of the subcommittee's mandate, I set myself the following two tasks: first, to update the legal status sections of Of Life and Death by reporting on any changes to the …

Restorative Justice: A Conceptual Framework, Jennifer Llewellyn, Robert L. Howse

Reports & Public Policy Documents

Restorative justice has become a fashionable term both in Canadian and foreign legal and social policy discourse. Restorative justice is certainly not a new idea. In fact, it is foundational to our very ideas about law and conflict resolution. There is, nevertheless, a lack of clarity about the meaning of this term. Often it is used as a catchall phrase to refer to any practice which does not look like the mainstream practice of the administration of justice, particularly in the area of criminal justice. Little attention has been spent attempting to articulate what distinguishes a practice as restorative. Rather, …

Information/Consent/Authorization For Minors' Participation In Research, Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Following the workshop described in the previous article "Children and Decision-Making in Health Research," I decided to "operationalize" the approach taken to the issue of minors and consent/authorization. What follows is a proposed set of instructions for investigators that could be provided by REBs to investigators to facilitate the process of applying for ethical approval for research involving minors and to ensure respect for minors who are participating in research.

Women And Children In The Economy: Reflections From The Income Tax System, Faye Woodman

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

I have been asked to speak on “women and economics” with specific reference to the Canadian tax system. It is my thesis that the economic vulnerabilities of women and children in this nation are reflected and reinforced in the tax system. Further, it is my view that societal attitudes about who should support, and how we should support, children contribute to a complex synergy within the economic/tax system. This has the potential to produce a new underclass of government dependents who are dependent because, paradoxically, they receive so little support. Finally, I end with a plea for a broader commitment …

The Sounds Of Silence: Charter Application When The Legislature Declines To Speak, Dianne Pothier

Dianne Pothier Collection

On first impression, the title of the Simon and Garfunkle hit classic hit "The Sounds of Silence" may seem like an oxymoron. But it does not take too much reflection to realize that silence can indeed be very expressive and therefore quite telling. While that can be true in any number of contexts, for the specific purpose of this article, I will examine only one: legislative silence. What is the legal significance of the legislature declining to speak on one particular aspect of a legal issue otherwise addressed in the legislation? More specifically, can the Charter be engaged to challenge …

Report On The Consultation With The Maritime School Of Social Work Community, Dianne Pothier

Dianne Pothier Collection

In my assessment there is a genuine and strong commitment to affirmative action and anti-racism at the MSSW. But that in itself is only the beginning. Real cross cultural understanding is a major challenge, and needs to be constantly worked at. In the process, mistakes will be made on all sides. Allowances need to be made for that. The School looks at itself compared to other institutions; critics look at the School compared to an ideal world. Neither perspective holds the complete truth. The MSSW needs to continue to work at the effectiveness of its affirmative action program, defining that …

When Legal Cultures Collide, Richard F. Devlin Frsc

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In this essay, I attempt to consider the juridical significance of the Irish hunger strike of 1981. I focus on this almost unreal, but tragically too real, 'event' for two reasons. First, on the basis of the rereading or representation that I offer in this essay, the hunger strike provides an opportunity to reflect upon what is perhaps the most enduring and intractable question of social theory: the relationship between structure and agency. Specifically, it enables us to critically interrogate the aspirations and assumptions of a colonial legal structure and the agentic resistance of the juridically colonized. The second reason …

Law's Centaurs: An Inquiry Into The Nature And Relations Of Law, State And Violence, Richard F. Devlin Frsc

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The unfortunate truth claim which I wish to pursue in this paper is that the deep structural presupposition (which is almost universal amongst lawyers and clearly dominant among lay people) that law and violence stand in stark opposition is false. I argue that violence is endemic to any conception of modern law, that it is authorized by the legislature and/or executive, sanctioned by the judiciary, and perpetrated by what are euphemistically called the forces of law and order - the police, the military et cetera. In brief, I wish to posit the disquieting thought that legal violence is a sine …

The Elwood Case: Vindicating The Educational Rights Of The Disabled, A. Wayne Mackay

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The guarantees of the Charter of Rights affect the definition of education for the disabled. The case of Elwood v. Halifax County - Bedford District School Board, a landmark case in educational rights of disabled children in Canada, has major implications for educational practice.

One of the earliest and most controversial Charter of Rights challenges to the existing educational structure has come from parents of disabled children. Disabled children and their parents are blazing a trail to define educational rights in Canada, and the process is giving some shape to the the elusive concept of equality enshrined in the …

Book Review Of Passion: An Essay On Personality , Richard F. Devlin Frsc

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Passion is a cogently structured, compel Jingly argued and seductively enthralling masterpiece which, in years to come, will undoubtedly stand out as an inspirational source for many who seek social transformation. Unger's style, in this essay at least, is lucid and inviting. Substantively, Passion demonstrates not only the depth of his penetrating intellect but also his command of an array of' disciplines. Unger's polymathy is all the more impressive when we remember that ours is an era in which idiosyncratic specialization is the norm.

Justice: An Un-Original Position, Neil Maccormick

Dalhousie Law Journal

Human societies are not voluntary associations. At least so far as concerns national societies and states, most human beings do not have a choice to which one they will belong, nor what shall be the law and the constitition of that to which they do belong; especially, their belonging to a given state is not conditional upon their assenting to the basic structure of its organization. Someone who is born into a given state has obviously no choice, no opportunity to stipulate conditions upon which he will accept citizenship. Choice can perhaps be exercised later, when one is an adult, …

Justice: An Un-Original Position, Neil Maccormick

Dalhousie Law Journal

Human societies are not voluntary associations. At least so far as concerns national societies and states, most human beings do not have a choice to which one they will belong, nor what shall be the law and the constitition of that to which they do belong; especially, their belonging to a given state is not conditional upon their assenting to the basic structure of its organization. Someone who is born into a given state has obviously no choice, no opportunity to stipulate conditions upon which he will accept citizenship. Choice can perhaps be exercised later, when one is an adult, …

Justice: An Un-Original Position, Neil Maccormick

Dalhousie Law Journal

Human societies are not voluntary associations. At least so far as concerns national societies and states, most human beings do not have a choice to which one they will belong, nor what shall be the law and the constitition of that to which they do belong; especially, their belonging to a given state is not conditional upon their assenting to the basic structure of its organization. Someone who is born into a given state has obviously no choice, no opportunity to stipulate conditions upon which he will accept citizenship. Choice can perhaps be exercised later, when one is an adult, …

The Creative Role Of Law, I. F. G. Baxter

Dalhousie Law Journal

A few years ago, the writer was asked by a professional association (concerned with pharmacy) to organize the legal side of a research project. The project was to examine the state of the profession and to produce a new design for the future. The suggestion was made that the legal part of the report should be done first so that the other reporters could know what they could or could not suggest in making their proposals. It was replied (by the legal researchers) that law too is a planning variable, and that law's true role is not to confine desirable …

Equity 1900-1901 3rd Year, Donald Frank Matheson

Thompson Rare Book Collection

This notebook was used by D. Frank Matheson, an alumnus of Dalhousie Law School, Class of 1901, in his third year Equity Law class.

The Matheson Notebooks are a collection of seven bound notebooks used by Frank Matheson during his time at Dalhousie School of Law between 1898 and 1901. In 2018, they were found in the basement of a Lunenburg law firm and donated to Schulich School of Law. There are two or three notebooks from each year of Matheson’s studies, ranging slightly in size and style. The notebooks have pages made from linen rags, are bound with paper …

Thoughts In Prison, William Dodd

Thompson Rare Book Collection

The following work, as the dates of the respective parts evince, was begun by its unhappy Author in his apartments at Newgate, on the evening of the day subsequent to his trial and conviction at Justice Hall; and was finished, amidst various necessary interruptions, in little more than the space of two months.

The few little pieces subjoined to the Thoughts, and the Author’s Last Prayer, were found amongst his papers. Their evident connection with the Poem was the inducement for adding them to the volume.

Written by the Rev. William Dodd, during his time in prison prior to …