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Stability and Change: Policy Evolution on the Supreme Court of Canada, 1945–2005

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2018

Susan W. Johnson
Susan W. Johnson*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 323 Curry Bldg., Greensboro, NC 27402
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: swjohnso@uncg.edu
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Abstract

Studies of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) focus largely on its policy-making role and its interpretation of the Charter of Rights. However, less studied are the Court's decisions in earlier periods, especially in comparison to the Charter years and in cases beyond civil rights and liberties. This study fills a gap in the scholarship by analyzing the universe of decisions from 1945 to 2005 in criminal, tax and tort cases. Utilizing Baum's (1988, 1989) method to examine policy change, I explore policy trends on the Supreme Court. The findings suggest that, for the most part, the SCC has remained a stable, consistent body over the course of its modern history. It appears that most of the variation in judicial output across time is due to issue change with some shifts due to personnel and membership change.

Résumé

Les études de la Cour suprême du Canada (CSC) portent principalement sur son rôle d'élaboration des politiques et son interprétation de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés. Toutefois, les décisions de la Cour à des périodes antérieures sont moins étudiées, surtout en regard des années de la Charte et dans des cas allant au-delà des droits et libertés civils. La présente étude, qui analyse l'univers des décisions rendues de 1945 à 2005 en matière pénale, fiscale et délictuelle, vient combler une lacune de la recherche. En utilisant la méthode de Baum (1988, 1989) pour examiner les changements d'orientation, j'explore les tendances politiques à la Cour suprême. Les résultats suggèrent que, dans l'ensemble, la CSC est demeurée un organe stable et constant tout au long de son histoire moderne. Il appert que la plus grande partie de la variation de la production judiciaire au fil du temps est due à l’évolution des enjeux, certains changements étant attribuables à la mobilité et à la composition du tribunal.

Type
Research Article/Étude originale
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 343 - 362
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2018 

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