What was the biggest legal story of 2010? That’s the topic in our new poll. Let us know what you think. Here’s a rundown of the events we’ve picked for consideration:
- January 24: The Legal Aid boycott ends with a promise by the Attorney General to raise rates by 40 percent over five years, increase funding for expert witnesses and increase the top level tariff for major cases.
- May 25: Charges against Michael Bryant — including criminal negligence causing death — are dropped. Afterwards, Bryant says he was “awestruck” by criminal lawyer Marie Henein’s savvy, smarts and gritty, hard-won experience.
- June 26: Police detain 1,105 people during the G20 Summit.
- July 21: Conrad Black walks out of a Florida prison on a $2 million (U.S.) bond.
- September 28: Justice Susan Himel strikes down three of Canada’s prostitution laws in Ontario.
- October 21: Former CFB Trenton commander Russell Williams is sentenced to life in prison.
- October 31: After signing a plea agreement, Omar Khadr is sentenced to eight additional years in custody for the battlefield killing of U.S. Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer.
- November 22: The jury in the second murder trial of Erika Mendieta is dismissed after Paul Alexander, a Crown prosecutor from the first trial, allegedly makes “distracting faces” while seated in the gallery.
This last story was also the subject of a Precedent poll, which asked “What will be the outcome of the controversy surrounding Paul Alexander?” Here are the results:
- 58.7 percent He will be fired. (125 votes)
- 26.8 percent He may get a slap on the wrist, but nothing more. (57 votes)
- 9.9 percent He will be seriously reprimanded by the AG and/or the Law Society. (21 votes)
- 4.7 percent Nothing will happen. (10 votes)