John Sopinka
| John Sopinka | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada | |
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In office May 24, 1988 – November 24, 1997 |
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| Nominated by | Brian Mulroney |
| Preceded by | Willard Estey |
| Succeeded by | Ian Binnie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 19, 1933 Broderick, Saskatchewan |
| Died | November 24, 1997 (aged 64) Ottawa, Ontario |
John Sopinka, QC (March 19, 1933 – November 24, 1997) was a Canadian lawyer and puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada, the first Ukrainian-Canadian appointed to the high court.
Sopinka was born in Broderick, Saskatchewan and lived there until his family moved to Hamilton, Ontario. He completed secondary school at Saltfleet High School in Stoney Creek. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees at the University of Toronto. While studying law, he also played professional football with the Toronto Argonauts (1955 to 1957, 29 games) and then the Montreal Alouettes (1957, 8 games) of the Canadian Football League.
He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1960 and practiced law at Fasken & Calven before becoming a senior partner at Stikeman Elliott. He was designated Queen's Counsel in 1975 and was also a lecturer at both the Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He authored several books on the law, including a leading text on the law of evidence.
Sopinka was involved with several high-profile cases, including acting on behalf of Susan Nelles when she sued the government of Ontario and the Toronto police for malicious prosecution after the withdrawal of charges against her for murdering babies at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. An inquiry into her case exonerated her and she won damages from the government for her ordeal. In 1986 he represented the Ukrainian Canadian Committee at the Deschênes Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals and argued against the deportation of suspected war criminals to their native lands, particularly the Soviet Union. He also served as counsel to the William Parker Inquiry that looked into the conduct of former cabinet minister Sinclair Stevens.
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