Reconsidering Civil Juries

Anita Balakrishnan of Canadian Lawyer Magazine covered the Attorney General’s consultation of civil juries reform,

Omar Ha-Redeye, the executive director of Durham Community Legal Clinic, argued in his submission that eliminating juries will not reduce the current backlogs in the court system. 

“Rather, the removal of civil juries will prevent individuals from having their case heard by their peers, and may further entrench the divide between marginalized and low-income individuals and members of the bench,” wrote Ha-Redeye. “If reforms are needed to the civil jury system, a better place to start is with the deductible in personal injury cases. This is the only example in Ontario where civil juries are creating an unnecessary use of judicial resources. It is a problem that can be addressed without dispensing of the jury system itself.”