A lightning rod and a symbol of courage (from the archives) episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 11, 2026 · 17 MIN

A lightning rod and a symbol of courage (from the archives)

from Verdicts & Voices · host Alison Crawford, Constance Backhouse

Corinne Sparks of Nova Scotia was Canada’s first black woman judge. She was also the object of a racial bias complaint that reached the Supreme Court and stunted her career. To mark the International Day of Women Judges, we’re replaying this July 2025 interview about it with Constance Backhouse, a legal historian at the University of Ottawa. Her latest book is Reckoning with Racism: Police, Judges, and the RDS Case. Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Corinne Sparks of Nova Scotia was Canada’s first black woman judge. She was also the object of a racial bias complaint that reached the Supreme Court and stunted her career.

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A lightning rod and a symbol of courage (from the archives)

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Corinne Sparks of Nova Scotia was Canada’s first black woman judge. She was also the object of a racial bias complaint that reached the Supreme Court and stunted her career. To mark the International Day of Women Judges, we’re replaying this July...

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