1. Please read the file that explains the basics of appeal hearings (without this background it will be difficult for you to understand the webcast): Understanding an appeal hearing.docx Download Understanding an appeal hearing.docx
2. Access the webcast of the Supreme Court hearing in R v Jordan: https://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/info/webcastview-webdiffusionvue-eng.aspx?cas=36068&id=2015/2015-10-07–36068_36112&date=2015-10-07&fp=n&audio=n# (Links to an external site.)
3. Watch from the beginning of the webcast to 1:35:00 (this part of the webcast shows the presentation of arguments of the appellant (Mr Jordan’s counsel) and the respondent (the Crown)). This is the only part of the webcast that you need to watch for the assignment.
4. In your assignment:
- Briefly describe the facts of R v Jordan and the main issue that the Supreme Court had to decide.
- Briefly summarize the arguments by Mr Jordan’s counsel and by the Crown that you have heard in the webcast
- Reflect on the following:
(a) which position – Mr Jordan’s or the Crown’s – do you find more persuasive and why
(b) which position – Mr Jordan’s or the Crown’s – did the Supreme Court adopt in its decision in R v Jordan. Please make sure to briefly summarize the main points of the decision and relate it back to the arguments of the parties in order to show the connections.
(c) what was your overall impression of the Supreme Court hearing (e.g., the overall atmosphere of the courtroom; the role of lawyers in the appellate hearing; whether it was easy to understand the arguments; what you thought about the interaction between the judges and the counsel, etc) and how this observation helped you better understand the role of the Supreme Court in relation to the criminal justice system. Please make sure to draw connections to class readings and lectures that discussed the role of the Supreme Court.
(d) provide your own brief evaluation of the impact of Jordan on the criminal justice system: what was its overall impact? Largely positive, negative or has it produced mixed results? Please back up your arguments with examples and proper sources; make sure to explain why/how you arrived at your conclusion.
Evaluation criteria:
- Clarity and accuracy of your description of the facts and the main issue in R v Jordan
- Clarity and accuracy of your description of the main arguments by Jordan’s counsel and the Crown as well as of the subsequent Supreme Court decision
- Demonstrated understanding of R v Jordan and its impacts and use of examples and proper sources to back up your evaluation
- Depth of your reflection and explanations. For example, merely saying that the observation helped you better understand the criminal process is not sufficient as it does not give me a good idea about what exactly you took out of this observation. Be concrete
- Quality of your analysis of the overall impact of R v Jordan and clarity of explanation behind your position
- Connections to class readings and lectures that discuss the role of the Supreme Court
- Overall clarity and quality of writing
- Please try your best to be concise and stick to the word limit. However, if you go over the word limit by 100 to 200 words, you will not lose marks
Testimonials
