Bob Tarantino

A quotation from political scientist James L. Gibson echoes through Governing from the Bench: The Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Role: “Judges’ decisions are a function of what they prefer to do, tempered by what they think they ought to do, but constrained by what they perceive is feasible to do.” Although the tenor of the quote is somewhat more cynical than what Emmett Macfarlane sets out to …

Canadians often look askance at the American habit of electing judges: Is a fair hearing on the merits truly possible when the judge has one eye on the clock counting down to his or her next date with the ballot? Would you want your case decided by someone whose primary qualification for the job was an ability to network successfully with power…