In this issue ...

• Freedom of Religion
• The Firearms Act and the Long Gun Registry
• Supreme Court of Canada: Retirements
• Civil Disobedience and Ontario's "Secret" Law
• Same-Sex Marriage
• Senate Reform
• Aboriginal Residential Schools: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• Downloadable issue and BLMs and more Log in to read

Same-Sex Marriage in the United States

The state of Washington became the seventh US state to allow same-sex marriage when Governor Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, signed legislation into law on February 13, 2012. The law takes effect on June 7, 2012, unless the issue obtains more than 120,577 valid voter signatures by June 6 to force a November 2012 state-wide referendum.

Read more in Class Action #30. Log in to read

Conviction for Conscripting Child Soldiers

On March 14, 2012, the International Criminal Court in The Hague unanimously convicted Congo militia leader Thomas Lubanga of recruiting and using children between 9 and 15 as soldiers and bodyguards. Human rights advocates said the guilty verdict against Lubanga should stand as a clear deterrent to armies around the world not to conscript children as child soldiers. For details and related links, see the CBC News website.

Read more in Class Action #30 in April 2012.

Ontario's Top Court Allows Brothels

On March 26, 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that sex workers should be able to conduct business in homes and brothels and hire security, but that communicating for the purposes of prostitution should still be illegal. The Court stayed its judgment for 30 days to allow both sides time to appeal, and suspended its ruling on brothels for one year to allow Parliament the chance to redraft legislation. See the CBC News website.

Read more in Class Action #30 in April 2012.

Class Action is an online subscription service providing updates four times a year in the areas of law, civics, and politics. Each issue includes several classroom activities with associated line masters. Seven years of back issues, searchable by key term, give you access to a rich repository of information and ideas for classroom discussions and assignments. Issues are available for download in a printable PDF format.