Video: Professor Richard Devlin and Professor Sheila Wildeman from the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada, delivered a thought-provoking presentation titled Regulating Judges in a Modern Democracy: Insights from Canada. After the presentation, seminar participants, both those present in-person and online, exchanged their questions and reflections on this significant topic.
In this RDV seminar, Professor Richard Devlin and Professor Sheila Wildeman presented their innovative research elucidating eight general principles for democratically defensible complaints and discipline for judges. This seminar provided a critical analysis of the 2023 legislative reforms to the judicial discipline process in Canada, employing the theoretical framework established in the books “Regulating Judges” and “Disciplining Judges”. The session offered valuable insights relevant to any democratic society, exploring various intersectional perspectives and including a case study that applied the theory to a specific jurisdiction.
Richard Devlin is a distinguished Canadian law professor at Dalhousie University. He is renowned for his expertise in legal theory, equality, legal ethics, and the regulation of the legal profession. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 2015, Devlin’s scholarly pursuits include critiquing legal structures impacting equality and economic factors affecting legal service delivery. With nearly three decades of teaching experience, he served as the Acting Dean of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2020.
Sheila Wildeman, an esteemed Canadian legal scholar and professor at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, holds degrees from the University of Victoria, Dalhousie University, and the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on health law, disability rights, and social justice, with numerous publications on topics such as the legal regulation of assisted reproduction and the rights of persons with disabilities. Wildeman’s contributions extend beyond academia, as she has served as a consultant to various government agencies and non-profit organisations on health law and policy issues.