Chris Sewrattan
@sewrattanlaw.bsky.social
đ¤ 196
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đ 519
Criminal Lawyer | Law School Instructor sewrattan.com
R. v. Carignan, 2025 SCC 43 at para 66: Peace officers should refrain from making a warrantless arrest where they believe on reasonable grounds that the public interest can be satisfied and the personâs attendance in court ensured in some other way.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. Carignan - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21317/index.do
4 days ago
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R. v. Z.M.L., 2025 ONCA 872: Good law on the obvious inference that arises in some criminal decisions. The trial judge inferred the accused person was guilty because they lied in their testimony.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
4 days ago
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R. v. S.S., 2025 ONCA 865: The ONCA says prior consistent statements were admissible as narrative. I think that's wrong. The statements were not essential to understanding the delay in reporting, especially given Kruk.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
5 days ago
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R. v. Ouellet, 2025 SCC 40, affirming 2025 QCCA 347: A factual finding that is unsupported by the evidence can be a legal error in situations beyond where the burden of proof rests on the accused.
canlii.ca/t/kgtft
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https://canlii.ca/t/kgtft
11 days ago
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R. v. B.F., 2025 SCC 41: The majority offers "no opinion" on whether someone voluntarily attempting to end their own life precludes all liability for attempted murder in respect of that attempt. But the answer is yes.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. B.F. - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21301/index.do
14 days ago
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R. v. Singh, 2025 ONCA 843: Under s. 11(b)'s exceptional circumstance analysis, there is a strong presumption favouring a joint trial. Separately, the fact that a Crown plan anticipates exceeding the ceiling does not itself render the plan unreasonable.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Singh - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23774/index.do
15 days ago
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Ramos (Re), 2025 ONCA 820 at para. 58: It is important that individuals are not effectively penalized for barriers beyond their control, particularly when those barriers stem from gaps in housing, resources, or community supports.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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Ramos (Re) - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23752/index.do
19 days ago
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R. v. Rees, 2025 ONCA 812 at para 359: A Crown stay is not to be used to make a charge disappear. Rather, it is to be used to provide an opportunity for the Crown to put a case it wishes to advance in order.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Rees - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23743/index.do
20 days ago
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reposted by
Chris Sewrattan
Lisa Kerr
24 days ago
Two Queenâs Law gold medalists, it must always be noted
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R. v. McDonald, 2025 ONCA 807: Important case on Browne v Dunn in which the Associate Chief Justice overturns a murder conviction entered by a now-sitting member of the Court of Appeal
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. McDonald - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23735/index.do
25 days ago
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Dorsey v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 SCC 38: The decision to deny an inmate a lower security reclassification is reviewable by way of habeas corpus.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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Dorsey v. Canada (Attorney General) - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21282/index.do
27 days ago
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R. v. Larocque, 2025 SCC 36: While the Crown must disclose the target value of an alcohol standard that is certified by an analyst, the Crown need not prove the target value at the time of testing.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. Larocque - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21268/index.do
about 1 month ago
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R. v. Rousselle, 2025 SCC 35: In a drinking and driving case, the Crown can prove the alcohol standard used in the system calibration check is âcertified by an analystâ through the evidence of the qualified technician, either by certificate or testimony.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. Rousselle - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21267/index.do
about 1 month ago
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R. v. Breton, 2025 ONCA 781: The question of whether the admission of evidence would bring the administration of justice into disrepute under s. 24(2) of the Charter varies between different proceedings with different functions.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Breton - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23706/index.do
about 1 month ago
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Reference re iGaming Ontario, 2025 ONCA 770: When the Supreme Court dismisses an appeal âsubstantially for the reasonsâ of the lower court without giving its own reasons, it should not be taken as endorsing that courtâs broader, non-essential statements.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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Reference re iGaming Ontario - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23694/index.do
about 1 month ago
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R. v. Wheeler, 2025 ONCA 761 at para 34: A TOF can use non-expert opinion as an exemplar of the standards of care observed when engaging in the activity in question, but the opinion canât be relied upon as proof of which practices are safe or not
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23689/index.do
about 1 month ago
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R. v. Y.Y., 2025 ONCA 766: This case shows the difficulty of self-reps in sexual abuse prosecutions. Issues on appeal (in which appointed counsel cross-x'd): 1ď¸âŁ Browne v Dunn 2ď¸âŁ 276 3ď¸âŁ D evidence, adduced by self-rep, opens door to bad character evidence
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Y.Y. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23688/index.do
about 1 month ago
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R. v. Rioux, 2025 SCC 34 at para 98: To determine whether a complainant did not consent or lacked the capacity to consent at the time of a sexual act, a court must consider all the relevant evidence, including circumstantial evidence.
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. Rioux - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/21256/index.do
about 1 month ago
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Binance Holdings Limited v. Ontario Securities Commission, 2025 ONCA 751 at paras. 90-98: Under s. 8 of the Charter, a regulatory investigation may only compel documents it reasonably believes are relevant to the lawful inquiry
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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Binance Holdings Limited v. Ontario Securities Commission - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23680/index.do
about 1 month ago
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Quebec (Attorney General) v. Senneville, 2025 SCC 33: The one-year mandatory minimum sentence for certain CP offences is unconstitutional.
canlii.ca/t/kg7sc
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https://canlii.ca/t/kg7sc
about 2 months ago
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R. v. Wood, 2025 ONCA 746: Court splits 2-1 on whether the sentencing judge misidentified the proper Canadian sentencing range by focusing almost exclusively on art-related cases, then improperly relying on foreign sentencing precedents to fill the gap.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Wood - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23671/index.do
about 2 months ago
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R. v. H.P., 2025 ONCA 742 at para. 15: It is not an error to conclude that a witness has fabricated evidence, without independent confirmation, when assessing the credibility of the witness. I think the Court is wrong.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. H.P. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23670/index.do
about 2 months ago
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R. v. Samuels, 2025 ONCA 736 at para 53: Under s. 8 of the Charter, a strip search includes visual inspections of undergarments that cover a private area such as genitals, buttocks, or female breasts
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Chris Sewrattan
Lyle Skinner
about 2 months ago
Contested election appeals are appealed directly to the Supreme Court of Canada (Per Saltum) under section 532 of the Canada Elections Act within 8 days of a decision. This is a rare bypassing of a normal appellate court and the SCC must hear it without delay
#cdnlaw
#cdnpoli
add a skeleton here at some point
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R. v. Wilson, 2025 SCC 32: The police cannot arrest for simple possession when they are called for help at an overdose.
canlii.ca/t/kg2t4
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https://canlii.ca/t/kg2t4
about 2 months ago
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The SCC has granted leave to appeal. According to
@chrisrudnicki.bsky.social
, one issue is whether to discourage conditional sentences for firearms offences. This may be the Supreme Court's interpretation of Morris (ONCA) and Anderson (NSCA).
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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R. v. Ripley, 2025 ONCA 712 at para 30: The Associate Chief Justice affirms that a trier of fact cannot find an accused less credible because the accused has received disclosure or because an accused has been present during his trial.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Ripley - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23643/index.do
about 2 months ago
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R. v. Di Paola, 2025 SCC 31: A sentencing judge can consider as aggravating any facts that could constitute the basis for a separate charge if that charge has already been laid. But in the context of a guilty plea, the prosecution must advise the offender of this ahead of time.
canlii.ca/t/k9gwv
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https://canlii.ca/t/k9gwv
2 months ago
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R. v. Bhatti, 2025 ONCA 697: This case is headed to the SCC. The SCC will grapple with weather ambiguity in a warrant (partly due to a poorly pled ITO) requires deference to: (1) police operational plans, or (2) the limits of the warrant
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Bhatti - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23626/index.do
2 months ago
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R. v. O'Neill, 2025 ONCA 683: An appellant can get bail pending appeal for a conditional sentence. They'd never want it though. So they can apply to suspend the sentence. The Oland test governs the application.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. O'Neill - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23605/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. I.M.B., 2025 ONCA 678 at para. 13: New sexual assault trial because the judge relied on the evidence of a witness whose cross-examination was improperly terminated.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. I.M.B. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23602/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Marshall, 2025 ONCA 638 at para. 148: "The trial Crownâs closing was graphic, inflammatory, and contained rhetoric that falls below the expected standard of Crown counsel." But the Court of Appeal is going to let this one pass.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Marshall - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23601/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Sheppard, 2025 SCC 29: Friesen applies to historical sexual abuse against children. Sentences for historical offences are properly determined in accordance with the sentencing regimes and societal perspectives that prevail at the time of sentencing
decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...
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R. v. Sheppard - SCC Cases
https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/20972/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. G.H., 2025 ONCA 667 at para. 9: The 60-day re-election deadline is the first OCJ trial date set by the court and is not limited to the stage of the trial in which evidence is heard. Rescheduling only pushes the deadline forward but not back.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. G.H. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23594/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Pahal, 2025 ONCA 668 at para 75: To avoid crossing the line & effecting a detention while executing a search warrant, police officers should act âsolely to ensure the integrity of the searchâ. If they exceed, they must provide occupants with 10(b)
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
3 months ago
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R. v. Ranu, 2025 ONCA 663: My thoughts. There is a difference between production (s. 278.1) and persuasion. D could've maybe crossed that the Crown's failure, through the C, to produce these "many more" messages shows fabrication. ...
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
3 months ago
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R. v. Arapakota, 2025 ONCA 660: s. 3(1)(a) of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act does not require that a person offering or making a payment to a foreign official foresaw the precise act or omission they would seek from the official in return
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Arapakota - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23586/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Bowie, 2025 ONCA 661 at para 27: Justice Trotter dismisses a bail pending appeal application from a convicted criminal lawyer through the public safety arm of the Oland test. This is rare.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Bowie - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23578/index.do
3 months ago
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unintentionally traded*
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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R. v. K.D., 2025 ONCA 639: 11(b) dismissal overturned and a stay issued. This case shows how broken our s. 11(b) case law is in Ontario.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. K.D. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23568/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. J.W., 2025 ONCA 63: Important case for sexual assault prosecutions. Paciocco JA reins in ARJD and fully interprets DD.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. J.W. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23561/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. De Jesus Carrasco, 2025 ONCA 628 at para. 23: A judge can't rely upon the testimonial demeanour of a complainant to gauge her character & then infer based on her character that she isn't the type who would have acted in a certain way
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. De Jesus Carrasco - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23559/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Hernandez-Viera, 2025 ONCA 626 at para 7: Readings captured by measuring devices in common usage can be treated as some evidence of what they display, where there is a factual foundation for finding the measurements they display to be reliable.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Hernandez-Viera - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23546/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Jiang, 2025 ONCA 624 at para. 28: After a re-trial, a sentencing judge should take into account the fitness of the original sentence as an important consideration or precedent but is not bound to follow it.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Jiang - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23553/index.do
3 months ago
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R. v. Mohamed, 2025 ONCA 611: Basically, common intention can never be a route to liability for a planned and deliberate first degree murder.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
4 months ago
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R. v. Nguyen, 2025 ONCA 609: In the context of investigating a tip about a stash house, it's not that difficult to see, actually.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
4 months ago
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reposted by
Chris Sewrattan
R. v. Swaine, 2025 ONCA 614 at para 39: Individual judges cannot waive judicial immunity.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Swaine - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23537/index.do
4 months ago
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R. v. Dos Santos, 2025 ONCA 598: Mistrials do not reset the Jordan clock. An application judge can account for it if the Crown proves both branches of the discrete exceptional circumstance test.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Dos Santos - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23527/index.do
4 months ago
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R. v. Storey, 2025 ONCA 599 at para. 66: At sentencing, don't conflate NCR with moral blameworthiness. An offender's cognitive challenges can be mitigating even if the challenges don't rise to the NCR level.
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. Storey - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23526/index.do
4 months ago
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R. v. M.F., 2025 ONCA 596 at para 27: The Court leaves for another day the issue of whether sexual interference is a âviolent offenceâ within the meaning of s. 39(1)(a) of the YCJA
coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/i...
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R. v. M.F. - Court of Appeal for Ontario
https://coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/item/23522/index.do
4 months ago
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