Making the most of an exclusive opportunity, Queen’s Law students watched Canada’s national court in action and mingled with its judges. They did all this – and more – on campus. On September 24 and 25, several Federal Court judges and judicial officers came to Queen’s for two events.
Professor Sharry Aiken opened her Immigration Law class to all interested students, enabling them to witness a real judicial review. Justice Alan S. Diner presided over the hearing of Cox v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The applicant was Mr. Cox, a U.S. citizen who was subject to an exclusion order for working in Canada without authorization. He was seeking an order setting aside the exclusion decision and an order directing the matter back for redetermination before a different Minister’s Delegate. Students reviewed the statement of facts agreed upon by both parties prior to the hearing. Following the review was a question and answer session.
“The Federal Court judicial review session helped contextualize what students (like me) are learning in Immigration Law classes in a real-world setting,” says Benjamin Ho, an exchange student from Singapore. “During the session, I gleaned fresh perspectives on the complexities of immigration law, as well as oral advocacy, and felt it was most interesting to have a novel experience of a visiting court breathe life into the course!”
On the second day of the visit, Chief Justice Paul Crampton and Justice Patrick Gleeson presented “Introduction to the Federal Court.” At that session, students learned about the Federal Court’s unique jurisdiction, strategic priorities and law clerk program.
Irene Cybulsky, Law’20, found the broad scope of Federal Court’s mandate attractive. In addition to being the court for judicial reviews, it is also the primary court to address disputes relating to matters under federal jurisdiction. “The Federal Court’s jurisdiction extends over numerous interesting fields – immigration, intellectual property, telecommunications, national security, marine law and others,” she says. “While law clerks gain familiarity with these diverse areas, the working relationship for a clerk is one-to-one with a judge to ensure mentorship, with flexibility that will permit the law clerk to focus on areas of interest.
“The experience of clerking at the Federal Court will not only be rewarding, but prestigious,” she adds. “This will improve the way one practises law, even if they do not pursue litigation. It may also open doors for work opportunities.”
A reception with the visiting justices followed in the student lounge. Cybulsky says, “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with individual judges and learn about their backgrounds and practice. This was unique and insightful.”
By Lisa Graham