Law, Politics and the Judicial Process in Canada

In the 20 years since the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , Canadian courts have arguably become the most activist courts of any Western democracy, suggests Morton (political science, U. of Calgary, Canada). He collects 53 readings, mostly drawn from Canadian judicial decisions and subsequent commentary, which demonstrate the intersection of law and politics in Canada. The readings are organized under sections treating the rule of law in the Canadian constitutions; political jurisprudence; the Canadian judicial system; judicial recruitment and selection; judicial independence, ethics, and discipline; access to judicial power; interest groups and litigation; fact finding in the courts; and patents, statutes, and legal reasoning. Each section contains a list of key terms. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)