Runnymede Society – We are an independent, not-for-profit, and non-partisan law student membership group.

A Legal Forum for Intellectual Diversity

The Runnymede Society is a membership-based organization that invites speakers from all across the ideological spectrum to debate legal ideas that engage the rule of law, constitutionalism, and individual liberty. The goal is to focus on these age-old principles in the context of real issues that are not often explored in the law school classrooms.

Runnymede Society Announces Major and Rothstein Fellows! | La Société Runnymede annonce les noms des boursiers Major et Rothstein !

Robbie Borrelli 2025-09-25

(La version française suit) CALGARY: The Runnymede Society is pleased to announce that Allison Jandura and Christoph Pike have been selected as our Jack Major and Marshall Rothstein Fellows for 2025–26. Ms. Jandura and Mr. Pike have both begun pursuing SJDs at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law this fall and share, among other impressive attributes, an undying commitment to the timeless principles of constitutionalism, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. Ms. Jandura holds an MSc in Molecular

Sérafin: La faculté de droit canadienne et l’identitarisme de « gauche »

Robbie Borrelli 2025-07-21

Quelle est l’influence des prises de position théoriques dites « woke » dans le milieu universitaire canadien? Le Professeur Stéphane Sérafin discute de deux incidences particulières pour expliquer pourquoi ces prises de position sont ancrées dans les universités canadiennes, et particulièrement dans les facultés de droit.

The Common Law and the Judicial Role

Naomi Papavero 2025-07-07

What is the proper pace of development of the common law? Today’s encore episode from Law & Freedom 2025 features Christoph Pike (McCarthy Tétrault), Prof. Stéphane Sérafin (University of Ottawa Faculty of Law), Alexi Wood (St. Lawrence Barristers), Asher Honickman (Jordan Honickman Barristers), and Prof. Malcolm Lavoie (University of Alberta Faculty of Law). Watch the full video on our Member Area. The full recording contains 1 hour and 05 minutes of Professionalism Content (Law Society of Ontario).

Morton: The Politicization of the Courts

Naomi Papavero 2025-06-23

Have the courts become political? In this encore episode from Law & Freedom 2025, Professor Ted Morton argues that changes in how Canadians view the role of our courts and the purpose of our constitution have politicized our courts. The full panel discussion, featuring three other speakers, can be found on our Member Area. Further reading: The Charter Revolution and the Court Party.

Veel: A Quantitative Analysis of the Supreme Court

Naomi Papavero 2025-06-09

How does the Supreme Court of Canada decide which cases it hears? Paul-Erik Veel, adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, shares a fascinating quantitative analysis on the Court’s decision-making, exploring everything from case selection and output to judicial agreement. Watch this full session on Runnymede’s Member Area: https://runnymedesociety.ca/en/account/.

The Runnymede Society Announces Two Graduate Legal Fellowships, Honouring Justices Jack Major and Marshall Rothstein

Naomi Papavero 2025-06-05

(La version française suit) CALGARY: The Runnymede Society is pleased to announce the expansion of its graduate legal fellowship program, offering two prestigious awards to exceptional Canadian students pursuing graduate legal studies. This year, in addition to the established Jack Major Fellowship, the Society will award a new Marshall Rothstein Fellowship. Both fellowships provide a $25,000.00 award. These fellowships are designed to support students who demonstrate a commitment to constitutionalism, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles central to