John Sopinka

Infobox Judge
name = John Sopinka


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office = Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
termstart = May 24 1988
termend = November 24 1997
nominator = Brian Mulroney
appointer =
predecessor = Willard Estey
successor = Ian Binnie
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birthdate = birth date|1933|3|19|mf=y
birthplace = Broderick, Saskatchewan
deathdate = death date|1997|11|24|mf=y
deathplace =
spouse =

John Sopinka, QC (March 19 1933 - November 24 1997) was a Canadian lawyer and puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada, the first Ukrainian-Canadian appointed to the high court.

Sopinka was born in Broderick, Saskatchewan and lived there until his family moved to Hamilton, Ontario. He completed secondary school at Saltfleet High School in Stoney Creek. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of laws degrees at the University of Toronto . While studying law, he also played professional football with the Toronto Argonauts (1955 to 1957, 29 games) and then the Montreal Alouettes (1957, 8 games) of the Canadian Football League. He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1960 and practiced law at Fasken & Calven before becoming a senior partner at Stikeman Elliott. He was designated Queen's Counsel in 1975 and was also a lecturer at both the Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He has authored several books on the law, including a leading text on the law of evidence.

Sopinka was involved with several high profile cases including acting on behalf of Susan Nelles when she sued the government of Ontario and the Toronto police for malicious prosecution after the withdrawal of charges against her for murdering babies at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. An inquiry into her case exonerated her and she won damages from the government for her ordeal. In 1986 he represented the Ukrainian Canadian Committee at the Deschênes Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals and argued against the deportation of suspected war criminals to their native lands, particularly the Soviet Union. He also served as counsel to the Parker Inquiry that looked into the conduct of former cabinet minister Sinclair Stevens.

A noted trial lawyer, he was appointed directly to the Supreme Court of Canada on May 24 1988 without ever having been a judge. At the time it was highly unusual for a Supreme Court of Canada appointee to have had no prior judicial experience. Following Sopinka's death, the court's next appointee, Ian Binnie, also came directly from private practice.

Sopinka died in 1997 of complications from a rare blood disease. [cite web|url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1997/489703.shtml|accessdate=2006-08-22|title=Supreme Court Justice John Sopinka dies at 64]

In 1999, a new courthouse in downtown Hamilton was named in his honour. The John Sopinka Courthouse has 18 courtrooms, accommodating Hamilton's civil, criminal, and small claims courts. The government of Canada had purchased and renovated the Dominion Public Building for an estimated $64-million. The building was erected in 1935-36 and served as the main post office until 1991. [cite web|url=http://www.hamiltonlaw.on.ca/history.asp|title=Hamilton Law Association history|accessdate=2006-08-22 cite web|url=http://collections.ic.gc.ca/hamilton_tour/postoffice.htm|work=A Virtual Tour of Downtown Hamilton|title=Post Office|accessdate=2006-08-22]

References

ee also

* List of decisions by John Sopinka

External links

* [http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/aboutcourt/judges/sopinka/index_e.asp Official Supreme Court biography]