Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court of Canada
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The Supreme Court of Canada is Canada's final court of appeal, the last judicial resort for all litigants, whether individuals or governments. Its jurisdiction embraces both the civil law of the province of Quebec and the common law of the other provinces and territories.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, Photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Madam Justice Marie Deschamps
Justice Marie Deschamps received a Licentiate in Laws from the Université de Montréal in 1974 and an LL.M. from McGill University in 1983. The Université de Montréal awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2008.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Mr. Justice William Ian Corneil Binnie
Born in Montreal, Quebec, on April 14, 1939, William Ian Corneil Binnie is the son of James Corneil and Phyllis (Mackenzie) Binnie. He married Susan Strickland on May 28, 1965. The couple have four children: Daniel, Matthew, Alexandra and Max. Ian Binnie received a B.A. from McGill University in 1960, an LL.B. from Cambridge University in 1963, and an LL.M. in 1988. He was the first Canadian to be elected President of the Cambridge Union Society.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin
Chief Justice McLachlin spent her formative years in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and was educated at the University of Alberta, where she received a B.A. (Honours) in Philosophy in 1965. She pursued her studies at the University of Alberta and, in 1968, received both an M.A. in Philosophy and an LL.B.
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Photo Credit: Andrew Balfour Photography - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
P.C. Chief Justice of Canada, the Honourable Mr. Justice Louis LeBel
Born in Quebec City on November 30, 1939, Louis LeBel is the son of Paul LeBel, Q.C., and Marguerite Sasseville. On August 28, 1965, he married Louise Poudrier, a daughter of Louis-Philippe Poudrier and Dorothée Labrie, in Quebec City. His wife, who is a lawyer and has an LL.D., was a full professor in the law faculty of Laval University until 2000.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Mr. Justice Morris J. Fish
Justice Fish, son of Aaron S. Fish and Zlata Grober, was born in Montréal, Québec, on November 16, 1938. He married Judith Chinks, daughter of Henry I. Chinks and Freda Morowitz, on December 25, 1966. They have two daughters, Amy and Laura.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Mr. Justice Marshall Rothstein
Rothstein is known for a 2000 ruling he authored as part of the Federal Court of Appeal. He was one of three judges that overturned a
lower court ruling that the "Harvard mouse" (a genetically modified mouse to be used for cancer research) could not be patented in Canada.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
Abella became Canada's youngest judge when appointed at age 29, and also the first Jewish woman. She strongly supports minority rights; for example, in 1998 she ruled that same-sex partners could apply for spousal benefits.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Madam Justice Louise Charron
Charron is known as a progressive. In 2000, she ruled, as part of a three-judge panel, that federal marijuana possessions laws are unconstitutional. The ruling gave Ottawa one year to legally accommodate Canadians who require medical marijuana. In 1996, Charron also ruled that same-sex couples should be allowed to seek alimony.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
The Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas A. Cromwell
The Honourable Thomas Cromwell was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on December 22, 2008. He had previously been appointed to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal on August 27, 1997.
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Photo Credit: Philippe Landreville, photographer - Supreme Court of Canada Collection
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PHILIP SLAYTON is the bestselling author of Lawyers Gone Bad. A Rhodes Scholar, he served as a law clerk on the Supreme Court of Canada before joining the law firm Blake, Cassels & Graydon. He retired as a senior partner in 2000. He writes for Canadian Lawyer magazine and divides his time between Toronto and Nova Scotia. 
