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Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

The British Columbia Court of Appeal

The First Hundred Years

Courts of law at once reflect and shape the society in which they reside and dispense justice. To mark the 2010 centenary of the British Columbia Court of Appeal, this book presents an institutional, jurisprudential, and biographical account of the court and its evolving role in the province. Richly illustrated and replete with group portraits of judges and accounts of key cases, this authoritative history explores how the court came into being, how it has operated, and who its judges have been. In the process, it tells the story of how the court has shaped – and been shaped by – the social, political, and legal development of British Columbia. 

304 pages | © 2010


Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface and Acknowledgments

1 The Origins of the Court

2 The Founders’ Court, 1910-40: The Macdonald-Martin Courts

One Case from the 1910s: In Re Munshi Singh

One Case from the 1920s: Attorney General of Canada v. Gonzalves

One Case from the 1930s: R. v. Richards and Woolridge

3 Transition and Growth, 1940-57: The Macdonald-McDonald-Sloan Courts

One Case from the 1940s: Ronan v. Hortin

One Case from the 1950s: Guay v. Sun Publishing Company

4 A Growing Court in a Growing Province, 1958-78: The DesBrisay-Lett-Bird-Davey-Farris Courts

One Case from the 1960s: R. v. White and Bob

One Case from the 1970s: R. v. Miller and Cockriell

5 Justice on a New Scale, 1979-2001: The Nemetz-McEachern Courts

One Case from the 1980s: Rutherford v. Rutherford

One Case from the 1990s: Atley v. Popkum Water Slides Ltd.

6 Toward a Second Century, 2001-10: The Finch Court

One Case from the 2000s: Barbeau v. British Columbia

Appendices

Notes

Index

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