TMU hosts Federal Court hearing on campus
A Federal Court hearing took place at TMU in November. It was the first time the court conducted a hearing on campus. Photo by Jae Yang.
For the first time in Toronto Metropolitan University’s history, the Federal Court held a live court hearing on campus. The hearing provided an opportunity for Lincoln Alexander School of Law students to witness the judicial system in action.
“We're often running moot courts in the classroom and through experiential learning opportunities where students act as either trial advocacy lawyers or lawyers appealing a case, but they're doing that without necessarily having gone to a courtroom. Some students haven’t witnessed what hearings look like in real life,” said Salima Fakirani, Director of Student Engagement and Experience at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law.
“Bringing the Federal Court to campus was a way to enhance the learning experience for students so that they can visualize the kind of lawyer they want to be in the future,” she said.
The Federal Court began offering law faculties the opportunity to host hearings several years ago.
The matter of Zohreh Saghafi v the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration was heard on Nov. 14, 2024. The Honourable Avvy Yao-Yao Go presided over the hearing, which involved an application for judicial review of a denied permanent residency application. At issue was whether the visa officer provided a reasonable assessment of the permanent residency application.
Insights from Justice Go
More than 50 law students in attendance watched as counsel for the Applicant and counsel for the Respondent presented their arguments and answered clarifying questions for Justice Go.
“We saw two different styles of advocacy engaged by the counsels,” said third-year law student Dave D’Oyen. “From one side, it felt more like storytelling, and from the other, there was a deeper reliance on case law and jurisprudence."
After the hearing, students had the opportunity to speak with Justice Go, who described the case as unique. She also noted the hearing was atypical in that the lawyers likely cited more case law than usual for the benefit of the students.
In a Q & A with Justice Go, which followed the hearing, students asked the judge about the case and the hearing, her decision-making process, and her career.
“It was insightful to hear her process of deliberation, how she'll actually come to the decision. She's going to have to decide this on her own,” D’Oyen said.
Justice Go reserved her decision, telling counsel they would have her decision within a month of the hearing date. “I think it will be really interesting to see what her decision is. It's not assigned reading, but I want to see how this all plays out,” said D’Oyen. The November 25, 2024 decision (external link) is published on the Federal Court website (external link) .
Academics in action
Along with learning about Justice Go and her process, students were excited to see what they are learning in action. The hearing involved both administrative law and immigration law, subjects that Lincoln Alexander students learn about in their first and second years of study.
For second-year law student Kunwar Yuvraj Singh, watching this hearing was particularly interesting as the subject matter aligned with both his interests and his academics.
“Getting to see the core principles and landmark cases that we worked with last year referred to here – essentially seeing case law in action from administrative and regulatory law and immigration law – was a great experience for me,” said Singh.
“This was my first time attending a hearing at the Federal Court level and it was a really insightful opportunity for me to get a close look at what both parties are arguing in an immigration case,” he said.
While this was the first time a Federal Court hearing has come to TMU, it was not Justice Go’s first time on campus. She served on a panel discussion on anti-Asian discrimination hosted by the law school in 2021, received an Honorary Doctorate in 2022 after becoming the first Chinese Canadian to serve as a Federal Court judge, and most recently attended the law school's Welcome Ceremony for the incoming Class of 2027 this past August.
“As the first-ever Federal Court Judge twinned with TMU, it is my honour to be the first judge from our Court to conduct a judicial review hearing at the university,” said Justice Go.
“From the pointed questions I received, it was clear to me that the TMU law students are eager to learn more about the Federal Court and its jurisprudence, as well as about administrative law in general. I look forward to conducting future hearings at the university and have more opportunities to engage with the students,” she said.
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