See You in Court

Willie Blackwater’s abuser is in jail, but for him, justice hasn’t been served. Twenty-eight of Arthur Henry Plint’s victims — including Willie — launch a civil suit to seek damages from the federal government and the United Church of Canada. The trial to hold these authorities vicariously liable for the horrors of residential schools is brutal and explosive, and not everyone makes it out alive. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Jackie McKay trace Willie’s quest for justice as Blackwater vs. Plint heads to the B.C. Supreme Court — a trial that exposes the widespread damage done by residential schools, and sets in motion the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.

Willie Blackwater is just 13 when he holds a knife to his rapist's throat, demanding an end to his recurring abuse. It’s the first time Willie stands up to his residential school supervisor, but it’s far from the last. Years later, after a fateful encounter with a cop, Willie decides to break his silence — joining a group of survivors that help convict Arthur Henry Plint of 18 counts of sexual assault. But for Willie and his friends, it’s not enough. And a risky idea starts to form. Can they take on the architects of the residential school system? Host Falen Johnson and journalist Jackie McKay meet the man behind Blackwater vs. Plint, one of the first court cases where residential school survivors took their abuser to court, eventually paving a legal path for thousands of other Indigenous children forced to attend these schools. This episode is part one of two. Listen to part two here.

Nineteen-year-old Gwen Jacob is just trying to catch a breeze when she goes topless during a 1991 heat wave. But after being cat-called and arrested, her simple attempt to stay cool turns into a statement. And when she refuses to pay her fine, she ends up in a court battle that triggers a nationwide debate about sexism, safety and control over women’s bodies. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Clare Bonnyman detail the multi-year saga of R. vs. Jacob, a case that challenged and eventually changed how the law treats women who bare their breasts.

The stories behind the legal battles that changed Canada — and the unlikely people who made it happen. Some were sh*t distributors, some were villains, and some were just regular folks dragged into a fight. Each week, host Falen Johnson teams up with a journalist to dig into a case that challenges the status quo, and asks: What kind of person takes on the law? What are the costs? And what would our lives look like if these cases never happened? Because let's be real, just because a case is closed doesn't mean the story is over. Named one of Apple Podcasts' Best Podcasts of 2025. New episodes drop weekly starting September 15, 2026.

When Dr. Henry Morgentaler starts offering abortions in 1968, he knows he’s breaking the law. Eventually, police move in, shutting down his Montreal clinic, arresting him, and sending him to jail. But instead of backing down, Morgentaler is emboldened, re-opening his clinic to offer thousands more abortions, and even performing a procedure on live TV, on Mother’s Day. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Julie Ireton explore the multiple court battles Morgentaler fought in Quebec, his time in prison, and why he was willing to go to such great lengths to challenge the province’s abortion laws, over and over again. This episode is part one of two. Find part two here: LINK LINK (will update when live)

After three court battles and jail time in Quebec, Dr. Henry Morgentaler sets his sight on offering abortions across Canada. He’s attacked with garden shears, his Toronto clinic is firebombed, and he and his staff are arrested. But with a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms in place, his legal defence finds a new audience —at the Supreme Court of Canada. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Julie Ireton revisit how Morgentaler used the courts to remake Canada’s abortion laws, the fierce debate that followed, and how a new constitution created a climate where abortion was removed from the criminal code. This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.

Gurbaj Singh Multani is just playing basketball when the ceremonial dagger that symbolizes his Sikh faith falls onto the playground of his Montreal school. The next thing the 11-year-old knows, his principal is giving him an ultimatum: hand over his kirpan, a symbol of his Sikh faith, or leave school. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Sonali Karnick take us through the case of Multani v Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys. It sparks a heated public debate over multiculturalism in post 9/11 Quebec, with grown-ups hurling slurs at the tween, and ends with a landmark ruling for religious freedoms in Canada.

Donald Marshall Junior just wants a quiet life: hanging out with his girlfriend and fishing for eels in rural Nova Scotia. And who can blame him? The Mi’gmaw man spent 11 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. So when fisheries officers slap him with a ticket for selling eels without a licence, he’s dragged into a new fight. And this one’s for his people. Host Falen Johnson unpacks R v Marshall: a case about whether a centuries old treaty means First Nations have the right to fish and sell their catch outside the quota system. Can Donald — who has already lost so much to the justice system — shoulder this high-stakes debate? And what happens when non-Indigenous fishers fear for their livelihoods, and a war on the water begins?

After twenty-two years behind bars, David Milgaard finally gets to speak his truth before the Supreme Court of Canada: he didn’t kill Gail Miller. And the new evidence his mother Joyce has been gathering can be heard. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch bring us the culmination of R v Milgaard — a case Laura covered at the Supreme Court in the 1990s. She recounts the courtroom drama — from the day David went missing, to the moment the real killer took the stand. And we hear the complex aftermath of a case that shook Canadians’ views of their justice system (and inspired the Tragically Hip). This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.

David Milgaard is no angel, a high school drop out who likes to party. But the 17-year-old swears he’s not a killer, even after his 1969 conviction for the rape and murder of nurses aid Gail Miller. His mother Joyce believes him — and starts working to prove it. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch tell the epic tale of R v Milgaard. We hear about David’s life in the bowels of a notorious prison, and how his mom upends her small-town Saskatchewan life to hunt for clues about the real killer. But are the powers-that-be ready to listen? This episode is part one of two. Find Part 2 here.

If you’ve ever had a cheeseburger delivered in the middle of the night, you might find it hard to believe there was a time when shopping on Sundays was against the law. But back in 1982, a plucky Calgary drug store decided to flout that law, got slapped with a ticket, and inadvertently changed the way Canadians shop, forever. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Allison Dempster bring us the story of R. v. Big M Drug Mart, and the twenty-something shop owner who gets so sick of paying fines for being open on Sunday, she fights the charge all the way to the Supreme Court, sparking a nation-wide debate about the need for a day of rest.

Teenage Leticia, feeling alienated from her mostly white community, starts getting into trouble. But when her adoptive mother threatens to send her back to the child welfare system — the 13 year old is shocked. Would she really give up the child she fought all the way to the Supreme Court to adopt? Host Falen Johnson and journalist Dawna Dingwall unpack the impact of the court judgement on Leticia, her personal struggles to overcome the trauma that followed the SCC ruling, and her quest to understand how Racine v Woods impacted not just her — but children across Canada. This episode is part three of three.

After years of legal wrangling, the Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Leticia's fate — will she stay with her former foster parents or go back to her First Nation with her birth mother? With more and more Indigenous children being put into care outside their communities, the decision unearths broader questions about who gets to decide what is best for a child — and what is really best for Leticia. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Dawna Dingwall recount the court battle, the attitudes it uncovered, and the impact on 7 year old Leticia — including the judge’s decision to ban her birth mother, Linda, from seeing her until she’s 12. This episode is part two of three.

Leticia is just an infant when she’s taken into foster care. But by the time she’s a year old, a legal battle over who should raise her is brewing, with her birth mother pushing to take her back to her First Nation and her foster parents saying she belongs with them. Host Falen Johnson sets the stage for journalist Dawna Dingwall and Leticia Racine to travel back to southwest Manitoba — where they both grew up — and their journey to try and piece together how Leticia ended up at the centre of precedent-setting court case, and the mark it made in her life. This episode is part one of three.

MR. JEAN MARC RICHARD HAS WON A CASH PRIZE OF $833,337! In 1999, a letter with this claim from Time Magazine lands in a Montreal man’s mailbox. Most people would call it junk mail and toss it, but Jean Marc Richard is determined to get his promised payout, launching a court battle with one of North America’s biggest publishers. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Craig Desson rip open the case of Richard v Time to uncover one man’s quest for an elusive cash prize that somehow escalates into a Supreme Court battle over misleading advertising, and sets a standard for consumer rights that is still used today.

When Delwin Vriend’s legal battle lands in the Supreme Court of Canada, public debate turns ugly. And like it or not, Delwin and his legal team become the faces of the battle to protect sexual orientation; heroes to some, and villains to others. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Clare Bonnyman bring us behind the scenes of the fateful SCC case, Vriend v Alberta, and a ruling that breaks new ground for 2SLGBTQ+ people, but also breaks Delwin. Even after proclaiming “Ha-ha, I win,” he faces hard choices about how to handle the legacy of the case in his life. This episode is part two of two. Hear Part 1 here.

Delwin Vriend isn’t seeking the spotlight. As an introverted gay man, working at an Edmonton Christian school in the 1990s, he keeps a low profile. But when he’s fired for being gay, he knows he needs to push back in a very public way. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Clare Bonnyman recount the case of Vriend v Alberta, and the loud and sometimes lewd court battles that see a judge turn his chair to the wall when Vriend’s lawyers speak; newspapers plastering his photo next to a pic of a convicted pedophile; and a government scrambling to shut his case down. This episode is part one of two. Hear Part 2 here.

Dive into the messy and memorable court battles that shaped how Canadians live today, one case at a time. Each week, host Falen Johnson teams up with a journalist to uncover the true stories of convicts, sh*t disturbers and ordinary folks who decided to challenge the law and ended up changing history. New episodes weekly from Tuesday, September 16 to November 4, 2025.