As
Canada’s
final
court
of
appeal,
the
Supreme
Court
is
a
crucial
component
of
the
country’s
legal
system.
Yet,
for
much
of
its
almost
140-year
history,
the
highest
court
in
the
land
dwelled
in
relative
obscurity.
More
than
thirty
years
since
the
advent
of
the
Charter
of
Rights
and
Freedoms,
which
transformed
the
court’s
function
and
thrust
its
work
into
the
national
spotlight,
many
of
us
are
still
in
the
dark
about
the
Supreme
Court’s
role
--
in
part
because
there
has
been
relatively
little
empirical
investigation
into
how
the
institution
works.
In
Governing
from
the
Bench,
Emmett
Macfarlane
draws
on
interviews
with
current
and
former
justices,
law
clerks,
and
other
staff
members
of
the
court
to
shed
light
on
the
institution’s
internal
environment
and
decision-making
processes.
He
explores
the
complex
role
of
the
Supreme
Court
as
an
institution;
exposes
the
rules,
conventions,
and
norms
that
shape
and
constrain
its
justices’
behaviour;
and
situates
the
court
in
its
broader
governmental
and
societal
context,
as
it
relates
to
the
elected
branches
of
government,
the
media,
and
the
public.
At
once
enlightening
and
engaging,
Governing
from
the
Bench
is
a
much-needed
and
comprehensive
exploration
of
an
institution
that
touches
the
lives
of
all
Canadians.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012