Home
World
Canada
- BC
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- Thunder Bay
- Sudbury
- Windsor
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- NB
- PEI
- NS
- NL
- North
Politics
Health
Arts & Entertainment
- Music
- Film
- Television
- Books
- Media
- Art & Design
- Theatre
Technology & Science
Money
Consumer Life
Diversions
Weather
Your Voice

New licensing option: POST all or part of this article on a web site, intranet or blog.

Mayor in trouble for comments about judges

Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 11:19 AM AT

CBC News

The mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality has been accused of professional misconduct for remarks he made about the Nova Scotia judiciary.

John Morgan, who is also a lawyer, will appear before the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society next week to answer for comments he made to CBC News last year.

Morgan insists he didn't mean to offend anyone and should have the right to speak his mind.

Morgan is accused of breaching the following provisions of Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct: A Handbook for Lawyers in Nova Scotia:

Failed in his duty to encourage public respect for justice and to uphold and try to improve the administration of justice.
Failed to discharge his duty, as a lawyer who holds public office, to adhere to standards of conduct as high as those which the Handbook requires of a lawyer engaged in the practice of law.
Failed to treat the court with courtesy and respect, and failed to uphold and encourage public respect for justice and the administration of justice.

"Our citizens have the right to have their politicians free to accurately describe the challenges faced by the region," Morgan said Thursday.

In April 2008, after the Nova Scotia Supreme Court rejected the CBRM's lawsuit against the province over equalization payments, Morgan told CBC News that judges in Nova Scotia were "not tree shakers."

He also suggested that most judges have ties to the political process, saying, "They are there because they are, for the most part, part of the establishment."

According to the law society, Morgan failed to treat the court with courtesy and respect, and failed to encourage public respect for justice.

As a lawyer, Morgan must follow certain rules, said Darryl Pink, the society's executive director.

"A lawyer cannot hide behind the fact that he or she is speaking in some other capacity if he breaches the rules that govern all lawyers," Pink said.

Morgan believes he's the first politician in Canada taken to task by a law society for such remarks. He said he meant no disrespect and only wanted to suggest that courts in Nova Scotia are not as active in addressing wrongs as the Supreme Court of Canada.

"I've got great respect for the skills of all of the individuals who are part of the Nova Scotia judiciary. But really, what we're analyzing is not respect for individuals but a process of decision making," Morgan said.

A hearing is scheduled for next Friday in Halifax.

New licensing option: POST all or part of this article on a web site, intranet or blog.

Internal Links

Court rejects CBRM lawsuit against province

Nova Scotia Headlines

Hurlburt resigns amid spending flap: Yarmouth MLA Richard Hurlburt has resigned in the wake of a spending controversy involving several Nova Scotia politicians.
Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review: The 2001 slaying of a Nova Scotia woman at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario is among the cases being re-examined after murder charges were laid against Col. Russell Williams.
Man arrested in North Preston death: Halifax RCMP have arrested a man in connection with a killing in North Preston, N.S., over the weekend.
Man attacks police, wrestles for gun: HRP: Police officers used a Taser to subdue a man after he punched them and tried to grab a gun, say Halifax Regional Police.
April Wine added to Canadian Hall of Fame: Rockers April Wine have earned a spot in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences says.

Canada Headlines

Alberta budget includes $4.75B deficit: Alberta's Progressive Conservative government is projecting a record $4.75-billion deficit, planning cuts to many departments while managing to increase health-care spending.
Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review: The 2001 slaying of a Nova Scotia woman at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario is among the cases being re-examined after murder charges were laid against Col. Russell Williams.
Neighbours stunned by arrest of Col. Williams: Ottawa resident Micheal Gennis says he was stunned when he found out his new neighbour, Col. Russ Williams, had been arrested in connection with two murders in eastern Ontario.
Olympic spirit will launch B.C. reforms: throne speech: The B.C. government says Olympic Games momentum will drive its push to reform education, offer tax relief to families with children and fight to revamp federal environmental regulations for major resource projects like mines.
Ottawa to appeal injection site ruling: The federal government is asking the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal a lower court ruling that sanctioned Vancouver's supervised drug injection site.

People who read this also read …

Top CBCNews.ca Headlines

Headlines

Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review: The 2001 slaying of a Nova Scotia woman at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario is among the cases being re-examined after murder charges were laid against Col. Russell Williams.
Alberta budget includes $4.75B deficit: Alberta's Progressive Conservative government is projecting a record $4.75-billion deficit, planning cuts to many departments while managing to increase health-care spending.
Ottawa to appeal injection site ruling: The federal government is asking the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal a lower court ruling that sanctioned Vancouver's supervised drug injection site.
Haiti man pulled from rubble: A 28-year-old man has been pulled from rubble in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, claiming to have been trapped there since the massive earthquake on Jan. 12.
Tories need plan for isotope shortage: Ignatieff: Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff accused the Conservative government of having no plan of action to deal with a medical isotope shortage expected to worsen later this month.