The Supreme Court Within The Canadian Judicial System
The Supreme Court Within The Canadian Judicial System
A hierarchical judicial system
The Canadian judicial system is a hierarchy, structured like a pyramid. The Supreme Court of Canada sits at the very top.
This means that any decision taken at the Supreme Court must be followed and enforced by the lower courts. Thus, the Supreme Court ensures uniformity, consistency, and fairness in the Canadian justice system.
This also means that the Supreme Court is Canada’s final court for litigants challenging the decision of lower courts. As we will explore in this module, if litigants don’t agree with the decision of a lower court, they can request that a higher court hear their case. This is called “making an appeal” or “appealing” to a higher court.
Once a case goes to the Supreme Court, whatever decisions are made by the Court are final: they cannot be challenged.
Instructions
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Instructions
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