Canadian Supreme Court Nominee

Earlier this morning, Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Federal Court Justice Marshall Rothstein as his choice to fill the vacancy on the 9-member Supreme Court of Canada.

Rothstein will be the first judicial nominee in Canada to have to go through a televised public review by a parliamentary committee. The live hearings take place next Monday.

• Prime Minister Harper announces nominee for Supreme Court appointment (Office of the Prime Minister): "Marshall Rothstein’s candidacy was scrutinized by a comprehensive process initiated by the previous Government that included members from all the political parties... I believe he has the qualifications necessary to serve Canadians well from the country’s highest court."
• The Honourable Mr. Justice Marshall E. Rothstein - Nominee for the Supreme Court of Canada (Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs): includes a curriculum vitae, a list of his Federal Court decisions, as well as a list of papers and presentations by him since his appointment to the bench
• Where it goes from here (Globe and Mail - may require registration after 1-2 weeks): the next steps in the selection process are explained - appearance of the candidate in front of the all-party committee on Feb. 27, formal decision by Prime Minister Harper on March 1, new spring session of the Supreme Court with a full bench on April 10, 2006
• Rothstein named to top court (Toronto Star - may require registration after 2 weeks): "Considered one of the bright lights of Federal Court, his cases dealt with everything from immigration to national security, access to information, environmental regulation, trademark and patent disputes, taxation and contract law. Rothstein wrote the majority opinion in a judgment that granted Harvard a Canadian patent on the mouse — dismissing arguments by church groups and environmentalists who contended that living animals should not be subject to patents". [decision later overturned by the Supreme Court]

See the earlier post on the topic, TV Hearings Next Week For Supreme Court of Canada Nominee.