SCC judges to visit 5 cities, pick law student contest winner in 2025 as top court marks 150 years

Law360 Canada (October 3, 2024, 3:26 PM EDT) -- The Supreme Court of Canada is giving ambitious law students a rare opportunity to impress its nine judges.

The highest court in the land has rolled out an essay contest for undergraduate or graduate law students (including those studying at a law school abroad) — among half a dozen initiatives the court announced on Oct. 3 that are intended to mark its 150th anniversary on April 8, 2025, and “to enhance awareness of the court’s work and strengthen public confidence in our justice system.”

The court “stands today as a shining beacon for democracy, recognized around the world as a champion for the fundamental principles of openness, transparency and judicial independence and its service to Canadians,” the court said in a multimedia announcement that includes brief video remarks by Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner.

“For a century and a half, the Supreme Court has served Canadians by deciding legal issues of public importance, and its decisions have provided the legal foundation for our strong and democratic country,” Chief Justice Wagner said in an accompanying press release. “My colleagues and I look forward to engaging with Canadians on the court’s history, role and legacy as we recognize the anniversary under the theme 150 years of upholding the rule of law, building public trust, and serving our community.”

The chief justice's and puisne judges’ itinerary next year includes travelling to meet the bar, judiciary and public in Victoria, (Feb. 3 and 4), Yellowknife (Sept. 14 and 15), Thunder Bay, Ont. (Nov. 17 and 18), Sherbrooke, Que. (Oct. 21 to 23), and Moncton, N.B. (March 10 and 11).

Chief Justice Wagner and two of the court’s other judges will participate in each of the visits, Law360 Canada was informed.

The challenging brief that the top court has handed to law students who participate in the court’s essay contest is to “choose one of the Supreme Court of Canada’s leading decisions,” and to discuss, in “no longer” than 8,000 words in English or 8,800 words in French (including footnotes), the decision’s “current, and especially its future, implications for the relevant area of Canadian law, including any opportunities for further development of the law.”

Essays will be evaluated by a “jury” of the court’s judges for the “rigour and originality of the legal analysis.” The deadline for submissions is Jan. 10, 2025, at 1 p.m. (Ottawa time). The winner will be announced in February 2025. Details here.

In addition to the experience and prestige participating law students could gain to help them in the future, (e.g. by bolstering applications for clerkships at courts or to work at law firms or law schools), the competition’s winner will be invited, with their travel expenses paid, to attend a symposium organized by the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Institute. 

As well, excerpts from the top essays “will likely be published” in the Supreme Court’s 2025 Year in Review, the court said.

The Supreme Court of Canada will also host a bilingual symposium on April 10 and 11, 2025, in Ottawa, attended by its members, representatives from domestic and international courts, and others within the legal community. The symposium aims to explore the role the court plays in the justice system and how that role can, and should, evolve. Speakers and participants will discuss such topics as the challenges faced by the Supreme Court and other apex courts worldwide, how courts can “fulfill their responsibilities while promoting the rule of law and enhancing public confidence in the justice system” and “the diversity of legal traditions in Canada, including common law and civil law, Indigenous legal traditions and the influence of international law.”

In a departure from the court’s usual practice of starting its fall session without fanfare, the Supreme Court of Canada also plans a ceremonial “Opening of the Judicial Year” event on Oct. 6, 2025, to provide an “opportunity for the legal community to get together and reflect on current issues facing the justice system.” The court said that “reviving an old tradition, this will be the first ceremonial opening at the Supreme Court in nearly four decades.”

The top court also unveiled a “commemorative logo,” created for the 150th anniversary, which the court said incorporates symbolism highlighting the history and future of the court. “The laurels signify growth, with new leaves symbolizing the court’s continuous development and expansion into future generations,” according to a video on the court’s website.“The shapes of the numbers reflect the court’s crest and its heraldic traditions. Interwoven numbers symbolize the bijuralism and bilingualism of Canada’s justice system. The nine laurel leaves represent the nine judges …”

As well, the court is organizing a reunion in Ottawa for its former law clerks from June 13 to 15, 2025.

Photos: SCC Collection

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