Supreme Court of Canada, Supreme court in Ottawa, Ontario
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court in the country, housed in an Art Deco building with clean lines and geometric patterns in Ottawa, Ontario. The grand courtroom accommodates observers and features translation facilities for proceedings conducted in both official languages.
The court was created in 1875 as a final appeal tribunal and gained full independence from British institutions only in 1949. Until that year, cases could still be referred to London, but since then every legal dispute ends in Ottawa.
The building takes its name from the highest judicial authority in the Canadian legal system, where cases unfold daily in both official languages. Visitors can watch judges in black silk robes examine legal arguments and deliver rulings during hearings.
Hearings take place three times a year and are open to the public, with simultaneous translation provided for all proceedings. Visitors can enter the sessions and follow the arguments as long as seats are available.
The court reserves three of its nine justice seats for representatives from Quebec to ensure proper interpretation of that province's civil law system. This special arrangement reflects the legal duality of the country, where English common law and French civil law coexist.
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