Pulse
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January 27, 2026
Obscenity, the 2026 version, part two
Here are the six obscenity prosecutions for consideration.
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January 27, 2026
Lawyers cruising for a bruising
Back when I was still willing to set foot in the United States, I booked a cruise from L.A. to Dubai. But then war broke out in the Middle East, and the cruise line eliminated several ports from the itinerary, shortened my cruise by six days, and dropped me off in Cape Town.
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January 27, 2026
Are women safe in Ontario’s courthouses?
On Jan. 26, the Toronto Star reported on very serious allegations that criminal defence lawyer Sudine Riley has made against police serving as security in the Oshawa, Ont., courthouse. She says she was seriously assaulted by them while just doing her work in the ordinary course.
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January 26, 2026
B.C. appoints 3 provincial court judges
The British Columbia government has appointed Micah Rankin, Charles Hutchinson and Jodi Michaels as judges of the Provincial Court of B.C., according to the province.
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January 26, 2026
Stikeman Elliott adds 5 partners
Stikeman Elliott has welcomed five lawyers to its partnership, according to the firm.
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January 26, 2026
Obscenity, the 2026 version
It was around 1978 when the “comedy” duo of brothers Blair and Gary MacLean came to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
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January 26, 2026
The blame hierarchy in family law revisited
My loyal readers will recall that I practise family law under the belief that there is a hierarchy of blame that exists in almost all high-conflict family disputes. To repeat, the client begins by blaming the opposite party, thereafter the anger is often directed at opposing counsel followed by the same anger directed at the presiding justice if he/she dares to rule against the client.
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January 26, 2026
Full variety protection for plants: Drones, DNA and the Court of Bari’s landmark decision
While the digital world grapples with AI-generated imagery, a parallel revolution in intellectual property enforcement is taking place in the physical fields of Italy. A recent, groundbreaking decision by the Court of Bari has set a transformative precedent for Plant Variety Protection (PVP).
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January 26, 2026
Jury charge regarding exculpatory evidence, statements to police leads to new trial in murder case
It was big news, first reported in the Edmonton Journal on May 8, 2020. The RCMP responded to a report of an unresponsive man found near a rural Alberta roadside just after 8 a.m. on April 12. The death was later deemed a homicide following an autopsy in Edmonton a few days later. The body was identified as that of a 74-year-old Wetaskiwin man, Larry Parker.
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January 23, 2026
OBA civil litigation award recipients encourage mentorship in the profession
The importance of mentorship and elevating young lawyers was a focal point of the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA) Civil Dinner, which celebrates excellence in the bar. Both recipients of the OBA awards emphasized the vital position role models play in the profession.