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T.O. judge orders Christmas tree out of lobby Updated Thu. Dec. 14 2006 5:31 PM ET toronto.ctv.ca A Toronto judge has ordered a Christmas tree out of a downtown provincial courthouse lobby, saying it's not an appropriate symbol to non-Christians. The move by Justice Marion Cohen has upset staff, some of whom call the decision stupid and insulting. Cohen says she understands the small tree has stood in the lobby at 311 Jarvis St. for years during the Christmas season, but in a letter to employees says non-Christians are "confronted" with the artificial decoration, which makes them feel "they are...

Ottawa's justice fiasco Nov. 15, 2006. 01:00 AM Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to find a new justice minister. Vic Toews's serial assaults on judicial independence risk shaking confidence in his government. No less a figure than Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who heads the Canadian Judicial Council of senior judges, handed Toews a rare public rebuke last week for compromising the independence of panels that recommend people for judgeships. And Canadian Bar Association president Parker MacCarthy voiced an equally firm protest on behalf of his 37,000 members. Their concerns are well-founded. Toews is no stranger to controversy. In the past...

Public Nudity: Canadian Liberal Politicians and at least one Supreme Court Justice Editorial by John-Henry Westen As if Canada was not embarrassed enough by the childish antics of some Liberal politicians . . . - Liberal (former) MP Carolyn Parrish who stomped on a Bush doll, called him a "moron" and referring to Americans said "I hate those bastards" - Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, who was just named as the mistress in a divorce settlement, has said that women's groups which do not support abortion should not receive government funding - Liberal (former) MP Hedy Fry claimed falsely in the...

PM's pick for bench draws fire Social activists cite conservative views KIRK MAKIN JUSTICE REPORTER -- The appointment of an Ontario judge who is seen as an opponent of pro-choice and gay rights has created a stir among social activists. Spokesmen expressed concerns yesterday about the appointment of Mr. Justice David Brown, a Toronto lawyer who has represented Christian family-value positions in several cases, and has written papers dealing with legal developments involving the sanctity of life. Judge Brown will sit on the Ontario Superior Court bench in the Toronto region. "What we are seeing is something we predicted: The...

Md. Judge Strikes Down Gay-Marriage Ban (AP) BALTIMORE A judge on Friday struck down a 33-year-old Maryland law against same-sex marriage, agreeing with 19 gay men and women that it violates the state constitution's guarantee of equal rights. The ruling by Judge M. Brooke Murdock rejected a state argument that the government had a legitimate interest in protecting the traditional family unit of heterosexual parents. "Although tradition and societal values are important, they cannot be given so much weight that they alone will justify a discriminatory" law, she wrote. The judge immediately stayed her order to give the state time...

TALLLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Supreme Court has struck down the state's school voucher system that paid for some students to attend private schools.