Historical, Lawyers & Judges, Regional Canada, Legal History, Bora Laskin, Canadian Biographies, Canadian Supreme Court 

Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History 

"In the history of twentieth-century Canadian law, Bora Laskin (1912-1984) is by all accounts one of its most important figures. Born in northern Ontario to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Laskin became a prominent human rights activist, university professor, and labour arbitrator before embarking on his 'accidental career' as a judge on the Ontario Court of Appeal, a member of the Supreme Court of Canada, and Chief Justice of Canada. Throughout his entire professional life, he used the law to make Canada a better place for workers, racial and ethnic minorities, and the disadvantaged. As a judge, he sought to make the judiciary more responsive to changing expectations in regard to justice and fundamental rights." "In this biography, Philip Girard chronicles the life of a man who fought corporate capital, university boards, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and his own judicial colleagues in an effort to modernize institutions and reshape Canadian law. Girard draws on a wealth of previously untapped archival sources to provide, in vivid detail, a critical assessment of the contributions of a dynamic man on an important mission."--Jacket 

Content:
Part I Starting Out -- 1 The Lakehead 15 -- 2 Law School 38 -- 3 Articling 58 -- 4 Harvard 80 -- 5 Waiting 103 -- Part II The Academy -- 6 Professor 127 -- 7 Osgoode 150 -- 8 Revolution 171 -- 9 Federalism 195 -- Part III Extra-curricular -- 10 Arbitrator 225 -- 11 Human Rights 247 -- 12 Academic Freedom 272 -- Part IV Transitions -- 13 Elder Statesman 295 -- 14 The Accidental Judge 316 -- 15 Ontario Court of Appeal 338 -- Part V The Supreme Court of Canada -- 16 On to Ottawa 365 -- 17 Early Promise 385 -- 18 Chief Justice 407 -- 19 The Laskin Court 428 -- 20 The Great Dissenter 453 -- 21 Architect of Public Law 482 -- 22 Patriation 503 -- 23 The Berger Affair 516 -- 24 Final Years 528. 

Includes bibliographical references and index.