Bad judgment : the myth of First Nations equality and judicial independence in Canada

Reilly, John 1946- (author.).

Summary: Judge John Reilly, now retired, was the youngest judge ever appointed to the Provincial Court of Alberta. For most of his 33 years on the bench he was the circuit judge for the Stoney Indian Reserve at Morley, Alberta. During his career he became interested in aboriginal justice and saw the failure of the “white” legal system to do justice for aboriginal people, the harm caused to them by Canadian colonialism, and the failure of all levels of government, including tribal government, to alleviate their suffering and deal with the conflicting natures of European-style law and Indigenous tradition and circumstance. As a result of these realizations, Judge Reilly vowed to improve the delivery of justice to the aboriginal people in his community and used his perceived power as a jurist to make changes to improve the lives of the people in his jurisdiction. Along the way, he came into direct conflict with Canadian judicial administration and various questionable leaders among the echelons of both Canadian and First Nation governments. John Reilly’s first book, Bad Medicine: A Judge’s Struggle for Justice in a First Nations Community, was a Canadian bestseller that sparked controversy and elicited praise nationwide for his honest portrayal of First Nations tribal corruption. Bad Judgment details Reilly’s battle with the Canadian justice system and the difficulties he faced trying to adapt Eurocentric Canadian law for the benefit of First Nations people across the country.

Record details

ISBN: 9781771600309 (paperback)
Physical Description: print
regular print
xviii, 332 pages : map ; 22 cm.
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Victoria, British Columbia : Rocky Mountain Books, 2014.
Copyright: ©2014.

Content descriptions

General Note:	New February 2015.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	How this all started -- Aboriginal awareness in the 1990s -- The hunter matter -- The hunter judgment -- Judicial independence -- Judicial remuneration -- Cpl. Young -- The hunter sentence appeal -- R. v. Gladue -- A meeting with the chief judge -- After the meeting -- The litigation begins -- The hearing on jurisdiction -- Preserving the public right -- Attempted mediation -- My October crisis -- The judges association -- The appeal re jurisdiction -- Obtaining the record -- The hearing on the Merits -- My complaint -- Justice Mason's judgment -- Judge Walter -- Appeal of the Queen's bench judgment -- The government responds legislatively -- The judicial council -- The judicial inquiry -- My court costs -- After the inquiry -- My complaint -- Mediation -- After the mediation -- S/Sgt. Cohn investigates my conduct -- Caux -- Reflections -- Appendix A: Allies and adversaries -- Appendix B: The talk I never gave -- Appendix C: Excerpt from BC court of appeal judgment in Gladue -- Appendix D: Excerpt from Alberta QB judgment in Reilly v. Wachowich -- Further reading -- Index of names.