The Criminal Lawyer’s Association (CLA) is Canada’s largest criminal law specialty association. On 6 July 2021, the CLA published a profile of Michael A. Johnston. Michael’s profile takes a look at what motivates him and what he enjoys most about criminal defence: I most enjoy cases which are tried before a judge and jury. A […]
On 25 June 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada released its reasons for the decision in R v Chouhan. Michael A. Johnston represented the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa (DCAO), which intervened in the appeal. Writing in dissent, the Honourable Justice Côté would have found that the recent amendments to jury trial procedures, including the […]
On 2 June 2021, the West End Phoenix published an article by Eternity Martis entitled “Black in the Jury Box: Systemic Barriers,” part of a four-part investigative series that “explores racial disparities during the jury selection process and looks at how they contribute to a court system that is biased against Black defendants.” The article […]
On 7 October 2020, the case of R v Chouhan was argued before the Supreme Court of Canada. This case dealt with the constitutionality of recent amendments to jury trial procedures, in particular, the elimination of “peremptory challenges” and the elimination of the “rotating triers” procedure. The Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa (DCAO) intervened in […]
Several decades ago, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) disposed of spent bazooka tubes at a scrap yard. Our client legally collected firearms and militaria, so he purchased some of the scrap with the intent of refurbishing it for display in his home. A few years later, he posted the scrap for sale in an online […]
