See You in Court

CBC
  • 5.0 (12)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Named one of Apple Podcasts' Best Podcasts of 2025. The stories behind the legal battles that changed Canada — and the unlikely people who made it happen. Some were sh*t distributors, some were convicts, 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 challenged 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.

  1. 11/04/2025

    Part 1 | The doctor who risked his life for abortion rights

    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)

    29 min

  2. 11/04/2025

    Part 2 | The doctor who risked his life for abortion rights

    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.

    31 min

  3. 10/28/2025

    The kid who wouldn’t give up his kirpan

    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.

    28 min

  4. 10/21/2025

    The Mi’kmaw fisher who waded into a war over treaty rights

    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?

    31 min

  5. 10/14/2025

    Part 2 | The teen convicted of murder and the mother turned detective

    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.

    25 min

  6. 10/14/2025

    Part 1 | The teen convicted of murder and the mother turned detective

    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.

    22 min

  7. 10/07/2025

    The store owner who pushed for your right to shop on Sunday

    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.

    25 min

  8. 09/29/2025

    Part 3 | The girl whose life became a battleground for Indigenous child welfare

    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.

    40 min
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Trailer

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About

Named one of Apple Podcasts' Best Podcasts of 2025. The stories behind the legal battles that changed Canada — and the unlikely people who made it happen. Some were sh*t distributors, some were convicts, 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 challenged 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.

Information

  • Creator
    CBC
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2026
  • Show Website
    See You in Court

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