Marlys Edwardh
Encyclopedia
Marlys Edwardh, CM
is a Canadian
litigation and civil rights
lawyer
of international reputation, recognized for upholding the causes of justice and the rights of the wrongfully accused. She was one of the first women to practice criminal law in Canada.
She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School
, holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of California
, a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Carleton University
, and an honorary
Doctorate
in law from the Law Society of Upper Canada
. She was called to the bar
in 1976.
Edwardh has been involved in numerous high-profile Canadian criminal cases:
Some of Edwardh's more recent high profile cases include representing Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub, detained under highly controversial security certificate
legislation, and Ronald Smith, a death penalty case involving complicated administrative and constitutional law. Other clients include the National Post
newspaper on a case waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada
regarding freedom of the press and the right to protect confidential sources.
Edwardh rarely holds press conferences and is known to be generally reluctant in granting interviews. She was quoted as saying in 2002 that “a lot of the cases I take on, by their nature, generate coverage, but I draw the distinction between personal publicity, which I do not seek, and publicity for the cases I take on that I think have real importance and so attract attention.”
From 1976 to 2008 she was a partner with the law firm of Ruby & Edwardh (with Clayton Ruby
) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2008 she formed her own firm, Marlys Edwardh Barristers, and has since joined the partnership of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP.
In 2005 she was the first recipient of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Vox Libera award.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
litigation and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
of international reputation, recognized for upholding the causes of justice and the rights of the wrongfully accused. She was one of the first women to practice criminal law in Canada.
She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
, holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, and an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in law from the Law Society of Upper Canada
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Upper Canada is responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1797, it is known in French as "Le Barreau du Haut-Canada"...
. She was called to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1976.
Edwardh has been involved in numerous high-profile Canadian criminal cases:
- She fought to overturn the wrongful convictions of Donald Marshall, Guy Paul MorinGuy Paul MorinGuy Paul Morin is a Canadian who was wrongly convicted of the October 1984 rape and murder of his eight-year-old next-door neighbour, Christine Jessop of Queensville, Ontario. DNA testing led to a subsequent overturning of this verdict....
and Steven TruscottSteven TruscottSteven Murray Truscott is a Canadian man who was sentenced to death in 1959, when he was a 14-year old student, for the murder of classmate Lynne Harper...
. - She represented wrongly-accused Maher ArarMaher ArarMaher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
in the commission that investigated his deportationDeportationDeportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and his subsequent tortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. - She served on royal commissions examining Canada’s blood system (Krever InquiryRoyal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in CanadaThe Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry, was a Royal commission headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993...
) and conflict of interest charges against former Cabinet Minister Sinclair Stevens. - In 2000, she argued for freedom of the press on behalf of several Toronto news organizations ordered to hand over footage of police breaking up an anti-poverty protest at Queen’s Park. In 2005 she led the opposition to Bill C-49 on human traffickingHuman traffickingHuman trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
.
Some of Edwardh's more recent high profile cases include representing Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub, detained under highly controversial security certificate
Security certificate
In Canadian law, a security certificate is a mechanism by which the Government of Canada can detain and deport foreign nationals and all other non-citizens living in Canada...
legislation, and Ronald Smith, a death penalty case involving complicated administrative and constitutional law. Other clients include the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
newspaper on a case waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
regarding freedom of the press and the right to protect confidential sources.
Edwardh rarely holds press conferences and is known to be generally reluctant in granting interviews. She was quoted as saying in 2002 that “a lot of the cases I take on, by their nature, generate coverage, but I draw the distinction between personal publicity, which I do not seek, and publicity for the cases I take on that I think have real importance and so attract attention.”
From 1976 to 2008 she was a partner with the law firm of Ruby & Edwardh (with Clayton Ruby
Clayton Ruby
Clayton Charles Ruby, CM, QC is a Canadian lawyer, specializing in constitutional and criminal law and civil rights. He is one of the most famous lawyers in Canada at present, having served as a defence lawyer in a number of high-profile cases....
) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2008 she formed her own firm, Marlys Edwardh Barristers, and has since joined the partnership of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP.
In 2005 she was the first recipient of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and contribute to the development of press freedom throughout the...
Vox Libera award.