This research guide was created for Political Science 308 students and lists a few of the better resources available for Charter issues research. All the texts & legal research guides are kept in the Law Library's reference room. Journal articles and case comments can be an invaluable source of information regarding cases. The Research Guides Beginning Your Legal Research and Finding Law Journal Articles can help you get started on your research. UBC Law Library has numerous links to Case Law websites and to Research Resources, e.g. legal abbreviation decoders and interdisciplinary indexes. To connect from outside the library, see Remote Access and follow the instructions.
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The best place to start is a law textbook which will give you an overview of the topic. Hogg, Constitutional Law of Canada LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4219 .H65 2007a (LC) Hogg's loose-leaf edition [LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4219 .H65 2007 (LC)] is available on request at the Circulation desk. Bakan et al., Canadian Constitutional Law LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4219 .C3624 2010 (LC) Monahan, Constitutional Law LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4219 .M66 2006 (LC) or online
Sharpe et al., The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 4th ed. LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4381.5 S54 2009 (LC) or Online Provides an overview of the Charter and how it works. Charter Equality Rights: Interpretation of Section 15 in Supreme Court of Canada Decisions Library of Parliament, Parliamentary Information and Research Service (PIRS) publication. Revised March 2007. The Canadian Charter of Rights Decisions Digest Edited with commentaries by Graham Garton, Q.C., Department of Justice, Ottawa, Ontario (The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and not of the Department of Justice) Canadian Charter of Rights Annotated LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE4381. A3 C35 (LC) This multi-volume loose-leaf set provides summaries of cases considering each section of the Charter, including cases concerning free speech, freedom of religion and equality.
MacEllven, Legal Research Handbook, 5th ed LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KF250. M33 2003 (LC) Chapter 1 has an excellent, brief overview of legal research concepts, including: how to find relevant primary law; mandatory & persuasive authority; and how to frame a legal issue. Two useful electronic legal research guides are: Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research (http://www.legalresearch.org) by Best Doing Legal Research in Canada (http://www.llrx.com/features/ca.htm) by Tjaden
UBC Law Library has numerous useful links to Case Law, including: CanLII: Canadian Legal Information Institute Provides access to all Canadian appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as access to federal and provincial statutes. Use its Help to design the best search queries for your topic. Supreme Court of Canada website provides access to the most recent SCC Judgments The SCC website also includes some information on the Judges and the Court LexisNexis Academic provides access to case law from Canada and the United States BestCase Full-text Canadian cases since 1912, including SCC cases. Use the Case Law Search (from the Select Search Form pull-down menu) to find cases e.g. "Freedom of Religion" and "Freedom of Speech".
Find journal articles about Charter issues or case comments about specific Canadian cases by using two indexes: Index to Canadian Legal Literature (ICLL) [or in print at LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE1 .I532 2001 (LC)] Provides thorough coverage of Canadian law journal articles. In addition to articles, case comments and annotations for more than 200 Canadian legal and law-related periodicals, ICLL indexes books, individual essays from edited collections, federal and provincial government publications, and the publications of law faculties and legal research institutes and associations, including theses. This index includes both a Table of Cases and a Table of Statutes to help you locate case comments or articles discussing specific Charter provisions. Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE8 .I53 (LC) & KOERNER LIBRARY reference: ZK1 .I48 Provides a useful list of Subject Headings, including cross-references between French and English terminology. Using the Subject Headings list helps you find the terms used by the Subject Index to describe the topic you are researching. It also includes a Table of Cases and an Author/Title index. Indexes to Legal Periodicals links to electronic legal periodical indexes, e.g. LegalTrac . See the research guide Journal Articles for an overview of legal indexes. Many periodicals are accessible via electronically - use the "Journals" search on the blue bar of UBC Library pages to locate journal holdings.
Iosipescu and Whitehead, Legal Writing and Research Manual, 6th ed. LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE265.Y64 2004 (LC) Chapter 7 (Factums) includes explanatory notes and a sample factum. Cromwell, Preparation of Factums LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE265.P73 1996 (LC) Contains sample factums with annotations and commentary, as well as practical advice and tips. Tjaden, Legal Research and Writing, 3d ed. LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE250 .T53 2010 (LC) or Online See Chapter 11 - Legal Writing - 11.6 Factums (pp. 206-209). Kwaw, The Guide to Legal Analysis, Legal Methodology and Legal Writing LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE250. K828 1992 (LC) See Chapter 10 - Appellate Advocacy, particularly: Written Advocacy: The Factum pp. 180-186; Respondent's Factum (pp. 192-193). Also see Appendix 4 - Sample Factums: Appellants (p. 215); Respondents (p. 217).
Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 7th ed. LAW LIBRARY reference room: KE259.C35 2010 (LC) Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
