Claire L'Heureux-Dubé: A Life(Law and Society)

Both lionized and vilified, Claire L'Heureux-Dubé has shaped the Canadian legal landscape – and in particular its highest court. The second woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first from Quebec, she was known as "the great dissenter" on the bench, making judgments that were applauded and criticized in turn. L'Heureux-Dubé's innovative legal approach was anchored in the social, economic, and political context of her cases. Constance Backhouse employs a similar tactic. Rather than focusing exclusively on her high-profile cases and jurisprudential legacy, sheexplores the socio-political and cultural setting in which L'Heureux-Dubé's career unfolded, while also considering her personal life. This compelling biography covers aspects of legal history that have never been so fully investigated, enhancing our understanding of the judiciary, the creation of law, the distinctive socio-legal environment of Quebec, the experiences of women in the legal profession, and the inner workings of the top court.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Chronology Introduction 1 Ewanchuk Family Heritage and Childhood 2 Lineage: Of Elephants, Literary Salons, the Military, and Mozart 3 Early Years: Quebec City and Rimouski 4 Growing Up in Rimouski Early Education 5 Life as a Pensionnaire with the Ursulines, 1937–43 6 Collège Notre-Dame-de-Bellevue: Classical Studies for a Baccalauréat, 1943–46 A Legal Education 7 The Decision to Go to Law School, 1946–48 8 Laval Law School Student Body, 1948–52 9 Laval Law School Faculty and Curriculum, 1948–52 10 Life Outside of Law School, 1949–52 Law Practice 11 Entry: A Law Firm Job, 1952 12 Sam Bard: The Man behind the Employment Offer 13 Business Law Practice 14 Marriage and Children 15 Family Law: The Later Years of Practice 16 Practising as a Woman Quebec Superior Court 17 New Career Directions: "No" to Electoral Politics, "Yes" to the Bench, 1972–73 18 First Months on the Bench, February to October 1973 19 Immigration Commission of Inquiry, October 1973 to January 1976 20 Quebec Superior Court, 1976–79 21 Family Tragedy: Arthur's Death, 11 July 1978 Quebec Court of Appeal 22 Appointment to the Quebec Court of Appeal, 1979 23 Appellate Judging, 1979–87 24 More Family Traumas Supreme Court of Canada 25 Appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, 1987 26 Early Days on the Supreme Court of Canada 27 Continuing Isolation on the Supreme Court 28 Fifteen Years of Jurisprudence, 1987–2002: "The Great Dissenter" Selected Cases 29 Sexual Assault: Seaboyer, 1991 30 Family Law and Spousal Support: Moge, 1992 31 Human Rights for Same-Sex Couples: Mossop, 1993 32 Tax Law and Sex Discrimination: Symes, 1993 33 More Deaths, 1987–94 34 The Quebec Secession Reference: "The Most Important Case," 1998 35 Fairness in Immigration Law: Baker, 1999 36 Epilogue on Ewanchuk A Wider Stage 37 Judicial Education and International Influence 38 Retirement: A Much Heralded Exit Conclusion Notes Index

About the Author :
Constance Backhouse holds a Distinguished University Chair and a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. Among her many books are Carnal Crimes: Sexual Assault Law in Canada, 1900–1975 (2008); The Heiress vs the Establishment: Mrs. Campbell's Campaign for Legal Justice (2004; with Nancy L. Backhouse); Colour-Coded: A Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900–1950 (1999); and Petticoats and Prejudice: Women and Law in Nineteenth-Century Canada (1991). Professor Backhouse has received the Augusta Stowe-Gullen Medal (1981), the J. Willard Hurst Prize (1992), the Law Society Medal (1998), a Bora Laskin National Fellowship in Human Rights Research (1999), a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship (2006), the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law (2006), the Killam Prize (2008), the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2013), and the Molson Prize (2015). She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2004 and was named to the Order of Canada in 2008 and the Order of Ontario in 2010.

Review :
[Claire L'HeureuxDubé: A Life] is an exceptional contribution to Canadian legal literature. Backhouse completely immersed herself in her subject by taking extensive French immersion studies, learning about the Quebec civil law system, and conducting close to 200 interviews over a ten-year period … the result is a meticulously researched but very readable biography of a leading figure in Quebec and Canadian law. - David Cameletti, Barrister and Solicitor (Canadian Law Library Review)