On January 26, 1986, Edward Greenspan, a renowned Toronto lawyer and editor of the courtroom bible Martin’s Criminal Code, charged that Canadian courtrooms are cowed by feminists.  The credibility of Canada’s judiciary is being undermined by attacks by feminists and other lobby groups, he said.

When groups unhappy with a decision, they simply launch an appeal to the judicial council, he said.  More and more complaints are being lodged with judicial councils or reported in the news media by feminists and lobby groups.  “Judges for some time have been unwilling to say anything against the feminist perspective.”  Greenspan mentioned, in particular, the pornography-censorship issue.

Pro-life groups have been aware of the same tendency with respect to abortion.  In Winnipeg last year, feminists appealed to the National Judicial Council in Ottawa complaining about the so-called “bias” of two judges of the Manitoba Supreme Court, one because he was the chairman of a Catholic hospital’s women’s clinic, another because he had signed a pro-life signature campaign in church.  They wanted them declared unfit for judging cases involving abortion.

On February 10, 1986, after the verdict of “not guilty” for the three Toronto clergymen, Karen Hammond of CARAL said the action league will ask the judicial council to review DiCecco’s verdict.  “I believe he is biased in his opinion and that he should be censured,” she said.  (Toronto Star, February 11, 1986)

Ian Scott, Ontario’s Attorney general, recently appointed two non-lawyers, both women to the Ontario Judicial Council.  He selected Jean Augustine, the black principal of a Toronto Catholic school and Doris Anderson, honorary director of CARAL, former president of NAC and leading feminist.

In January 1986 Scott appointed lawyer Lynn King to be a judge in the family courthouse.  In early February Toronto’s largest courtroom was packed for her swearing-in ceremony.  Many feminists were present.  Judge Lynn King is a former director of NAC and the author of What Every Woman Should Know about Marriage, Separation and Divorc