criminal justice

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 398

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: When Court Staff Screw Up

The headlines from a courtroom are usually about whoever is sitting at counsel table. This week the more interesting characters are sitting at the desk along the side of the room, or standing by the door, or in some cases not in the room at all anymore. Three recent stories about court staff who did things that nobody who works in a courtroom is supposed to do.

The first one broke today.

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 398Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 398 Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 382

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Greed and evidence

Greed is one of those things we look at as a motive. With most of my files, there is no motive. My clients may be investigated or charged with a drinking-driving offence, and I suppose the motive might be to get home, but typically the issue is either a simple mistake, a substance abuse problem, or an innocent person wrongly accused. I always think the moral culpability of people who are motivated by greed is somehow the most offensive. Jealousy can be somewhat understandable, but greed is just a high level of selfishness. 

This week, we are looking at three weird and wacky cases where police officers found themselves facing criminal charges because of greed. 

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 382Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 382 Read More »

Navigating Deepfake Allegations in Court

The rapid rise of generative AI has introduced a new challenge for the Canadian legal system: the deepfake. In the recent decision of R. v. Medow, the court conducted a seminal analysis of how courts must address allegations of manipulated digital evidence. This case is a blueprint for judges navigating the murky waters of AI-generated content in criminal trials.

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Navigating Deepfake Allegations in Court Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 380

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Bad Science Ends in Court

I learned to love science when I started working with a former RCMP toxicologist in my last year of law school. One of the nice things about DUI law is there is a lot of science, and as my career continued, I discovered there is a lot of bad science backing the assumptions police and prosecutors urge upon the courts. Bad science gets published. It gets funded. It gets defended with remarkable confidence. Most of the time, it only collapses when someone starts asking probing questions.

Here are three weird and wacky law stories where science wandered into the legal system and did not enjoy the experience.

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 380Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 380 Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 378

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: When Judges Forget They Are Judges

Judges hold enormous power. They control courtrooms, decide liberty, and are trusted to follow rules even when no one is watching. Most do. Some forget where the line is. This week’s stories share a common theme: judges who appeared to forget that wearing a robe does not turn you into a dispatcher, a police officer, or someone above the criminal law.

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 378Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 378 Read More »

Understanding Proposed Changes to Bail and Sentencing Laws

The Canadian government has introduced significant amendments to the country’s criminal justice system, aimed at reforming bail procedures and specific sentencing provisions. If the Bill passes, it is important to know how the legal landscape surrounding bail and sentencing will shift.

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Understanding Proposed Changes to Bail and Sentencing LawsRead More »

Understanding Proposed Changes to Bail and Sentencing Laws Read More »

Kyla Lee in CBA National: Supreme Court enters an acquittal in wrongful conviction case

Kyla Lee speaks on Supreme Court miscarriage of justice ruling. A bronze statue of a hooded figure holding a sword stands beside a stone building, with the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a woman convicted in the 2011 drowning death of a toddler must be acquitted.

The Court clarified one of the routes of when an appeal court can enter such an acquittal and was split 5-4 in its reasons on whether the Court should engage in a framework discussion on a “discretionary acquittal.”

However, the fact that Tammy Bouvette has been at the centre of a miscarriage of justice was not in dispute.

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Kyla Lee in CBA National: Supreme Court enters an acquittal in wrongful conviction caseRead More »

Kyla Lee in CBA National: Supreme Court enters an acquittal in wrongful conviction case Read More »

Entrapment: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!

Welcome to “Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!”

In this episode, Kyla Lee from Acumen Law Corporation discusses an entrapment case involving online police sting operations—and how the courts are struggling to define clear boundaries for police conduct in the digital age.

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Entrapment: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!Read More »

Entrapment: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t! Read More »

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