Top Five 2010

Each year at OJEN’s Toronto Summer Law Institute, a judge from the Court of Appeal for Ontario identifies five cases that are of significance in the educational setting. This summary, based on these comments and observations, is appropriate for discussion and debate in the classroom setting.

Summaries of important legal cases from 2010, as identified by the Honourable Mr. Justice Stephen Goudge of the Ontario Court of Appeal at OJEN’s 2010 Summer Law Institute.

1. R v Morelli, 2010 SCC 8, [2010] 1 SCR 253

In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) dealt with what it means to “possess” pornography under the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC). The full decision is available here.

2. R v National Post, 2010 SCC 16, [2010] 1 SCR 477

In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) dealt with the issue of confidential sources in a news exposé and examined whether reporters should have to reveal anonymous sources. The full decision is available here.

3. R v JZS, 2010 SCC 1, [2010] 1 SCR 3

In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) upheld the provisions in place to facilitate a child’s testimony during a trial, while still protecting the rights of the accused. The full decision is available here.

4. Canada (Prime Minister) v Khadr, 2010 SCC 3, [2010] 1 SCR 44

In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled that Omar Khadr’s s. 7 Charter rights had been violated by Canadian intelligence officials who interrogated him while he was subjected to a sleep deprivation technique. However, the SCC deferred to the federal government to determine the appropriate remedy for the Charter breach. The full decision is available here.

5. R v Patrick, 2009 SCC 17, [2009] 1 SCR 579

In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) addressed whether a warrantless search of garbage cans located on a residential property constituted a violation of s. 8 of the Charter. The full decision is available here.