I arrived at the Palais de Justice shortly before 9:00 am, excited to experience a “Day in the Life” of a judge. I was lucky to be paired with the Honourable Justice Mairi Springate of the Court of Québec, Criminal Division. We began the day in Justice Springate’s office, waiting to hear where she would be sitting for the day. I learned that I would be observing a bail hearing that Justice Springate would be ruling on that same day. I had observed several bail hearings before, during my time working at the Ministry of Attorney General. This however was a unique experience, as I would get a glimpse of the judicial perspective.
Bail is not something that should be denied lightly. This was a principle that was drilled into me by my first year Criminal Justice course. This principle remained at the foreground as I watched the defense, and the Crown plead their cases to Justice Springate. The decision on whether to grant bail would come later in the day, so that Justice Springate would have time to consider the relevant factors and render a judgement.
We took a recess for lunch and headed off to enjoy some sushi. Our conversations ranged from law school experiences (Justice Springate being a McGill Law alum herself) to criminal law. Working for the Crown Attorney’s office allowed me to see the criminal justice system through a prosecutorial lens, so it was refreshing to hear a different perspective.
We returned to the Palais de Justice shortly after and I went off to explore the courthouse, while Justice Springate wrote her decision. I had observed a bit of case management court and was wandering the halls, reading dockets when a police officer asked me if I was here for the trial of Frank Zampino. I had never heard of this person before but decided to go into the courtroom anyway. I walked into a room full of reporters, listening eagerly as one of Zampino’s associates testified against him. I spent the rest of my time in the courtroom, utterly engrossed in the ongoing trial. I later learned that the trial I had just observed was extremely high profile and am now eager to see how the matter gets resolved.
Would the accused be granted bail? It came time for Justice Springate to render the decision. In the end, the factors that opposed granting bail outweighed those that pushed for release. The decision was not made lightly, as Justice Springate expressed in her brief reasons.
We finished off the day where we began, in the Justice’s office, discussing what I had observed over the day. I am thankful to Justice Springate for being so kind and welcoming, making my day a truly enriching experience that reaffirmed my love for working in the courtroom. My dream of becoming a litigator remains as strong as ever, and I hope that one day I will have the honour of pleading in front of Justice Springate.