We finished watching the film today and then set our sights on some Q & A on the Star Chamber. Some of your comments are included below for future reference:
Here are some of the awesome ideas many of you had for the Q & A on the Star Chamber:
1. "What happened to the law? We let it happen." Most of you recognize that the judges in the film and probably in real courts too have rules to follow so that they are not at fault when miscarriages of justice occur. I pointed out that the Criminal Code of Canada is the basic rule-book for Criminal Proceedings and that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms must be followed too in regards to the rights of the accused.
2. Baseball Analogies: many of you pointed out the similarities between the umpire of a baseball game and a judge - both are human and sometimes they make mistakes. They are also responsible for interpreting the laws/rules of the trial/game so again, there might be some subjectivity involved.
3. Difference between Law and Justice: it's clear to most of you that the laws are there to help maintain justice in our system and that they are, as a result, extremely important in determining what justice is. Also, our elected officials in Ottawa create the laws of the land and consequently define justice for us all. And yes, those definitions change over time and as they do our laws evolve.
4. Overall, the point of the film is to expose to you all the idea that sometimes the law and justice do not mesh, that sometimes the rights of some groups (e.g. those charged with crimes) can override the rights of the victims and society at large - it is the role of the citizenry through our elected officials to define rights as they fit into our Constitution via the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Great start to the class, everyone! Keep sending in your email information for you and your parents.
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