The Supreme Court of Canada came to Acadia last week. The Honourable Justice Malcolm Rowe spent the day on our campus visiting classes before giving a keynote speech on Canada-U.S. relations. 

He began the day bright and early with a visit to Dr. Johannes Wheeldon’s “Approaches to Law and Justice” class before heading over to the K.C. Irving Centre to address both Dr. Jeffrey Sach’s “Law, Religion, Modern State” and Dr. Marc Ramsay’s “Theories of Law and Justice” courses. 

Ashley Wilson (fourth year, Business Administration – Employment Relations and Law and Society) spoke with Justice Rowe in Dr. Wheeldon’s class in the morning, and Dr. Lockhart’s “Issues in Law and Society” seminar in the afternoon. She says she was “pleasantly surprised” by Justice Rowe’s stance on judicial restraint. She also appreciated hearing his perspective on restorative justice and how it might be further integrated into our legal system. 

“It was an honour and privilege to have a Supreme Court Justice take time out of their very busy schedule to visit classes and speak directly with students,” says Ashley. “His willingness to explain the intricacies of the justice system, coupled with his genuine care and commitment to the justice system made the experience enlightening.” 

Over lunch, students in the Law and Society program had an opportunity to mix and mingle with their professors and Justice Rowe. 

Brit Pulsifer, (fourth year, Law and Society and Sociology) enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Justice Rowe over lunch. She was struck by his interest in Acadia’s Law and Society program, asking the students questions about the classes offered in the program as well as the types of things they’re learning. Brit and the other students also had forward-looking conversations over lunch, as Justice Rowe gave them his thoughts on what they might focus on in their careers. 

One surprising aspect of the lunchtime conversation for Brit is the talk they had about AI in the courtroom. She said the chat was a good reminder that AI use in a law career, beyond being unethical and “potentially very embarrassing,” undermines the value of humans and their work. 

 

In the afternoon, we spread the wealth around for our local community, as we invited students from local high schools, Horton High School and King’s Edgehill. Dr. Emily Lockhart, Dr. Kate Ashley, and the Law and Society Students’ Association led them in legal trivia before they got to sit down to learn from Justice Rowe. The rest of his afternoon was spent meeting with Dr. Lockhart and Dr. Erin Crandall’s students in their "Issues in Law and Society” and “Canadian Constitutional Law” classes.  

Don’t worry, we gave him a break for dinner at Wolfville classic, Troy, before having him back on campus to give his evening lecture, titled “Canada and the US: After 150 Years the Differences Remain the Same.” 

For Grace Larkin (fourth year, Law and Society), what stuck with her from Justice Rowe's keynote was his explanation of how crucial it is that judges separate their personal beliefs from legal reasoning. “It made me think deeply about how challenging it must be to remain impartial while still interpreting laws that affect people’s lives so profoundly,” she explains. 

“Having a Supreme Court Justice visit our campus and our classrooms speaks to the vision of Acadia's Law and Society Program—to provide an environment where students learn to think critically about the law, legal systems in Canada and abroad, and how the law intersects with pressing political, economic, environmental, and social issues,” says Dr. Emily Lockhart. “Our students got to sit down and ask important socio-legal questions to a Supreme Court Justice who, with expertise and an approachable attitude, gave them a first-row seat to how he thinks about the law and society relationship.” 

Overall, it was a banner day for Acadia and our newly launched Law and Society Program. 

"I felt this visit was such a promising moment for Acadia students,” Brit reflected. “To have a Supreme Court Justice take the time to fly to Nova Scotia and visit our small-town university means a lot to someone like me! Collectively and individually, it makes you feel seen and heard!” 

Grace agreed, saying that Justice Rowe’s visit reminded her that “even those in the highest positions of authority are deeply committed to educating and connecting with the next generation.”