Courts of law at once reflect and shape the society in which they reside and dispense justice. To mark the 2010 centenary of BC’s highest court – the British Columbia Court of Appeal – this book presents an institutional, jurisprudential, and biographical account of the court and its evolving role in the province.

Richly illustrated and replete with biographical sketches, group portraits of judges, and careful explorations of significant and representative cases, this authoritative history explores how the court came into being, how it has operated, and who its judges have been. In the process, it tells the story of how the court has shaped – and been shaped by – the social, political, and legal development of British Columbia.

This much-needed addition to the judicial history of Canada raises questions for British Columbia legal historians to pursue and for scholars, judges, lawyers, and Canadians in general to ponder.