Claire L'Heureux-Dubé

Constance Backhouse holds a Distinguished University Chair and a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. Among her many books are Carnal Crimes: Sexual Assault Law in Canada, 1900–1975 (2008); The Heiress vs the Establishment: Mrs. Campbell's Campaign for Legal Justice (2004; with Nancy L. Backhouse); Colour-Coded: A Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900–1950 (1999); and Petticoats and Prejudice: Women and Law in Nineteenth-Century Canada (1991). Professor Backhouse has received the Augusta Stowe-Gullen Medal (1981), the J. Willard Hurst Prize (1992), the Law Society Medal (1998), a Bora Laskin National Fellowship in Human Rights Research (1999), a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship (2006), the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law (2006), the Killam Prize (2008), the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2013), and the Molson Prize (2015). She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2004 and was named to the Order of Canada in 2008 and the Order of Ontario in 2010.

[Claire L'HeureuxDubé: A Life] is an exceptional contribution to Canadian legal literature. Backhouse completely immersed herself in her subject by taking extensive French immersion studies, learning about the Quebec civil law system, and conducting close to 200 interviews over a ten-year period … the result is a meticulously researched but very readable biography of a leading figure in Quebec and Canadian law.- David Cameletti, Barrister and Solicitor (Canadian Law Library Review)

• ForewordChronologyIntroduction1 EwanchukFamily Heritage and Childhood2 Lineage: Of Elephants, Literary Salons, the Military, and Mozart3 Early Years: Quebec City and Rimouski4 Growing Up in RimouskiEarly Education 5 Life as a Pensionnaire with the Ursulines, 1937–436 Collège Notre-Dame-de-Bellevue: Classical Studies for a Baccalauréat, 1943–46A Legal Education7 The Decision to Go to Law School, 1946–488 Laval Law School Student Body, 1948–529 Laval Law School Faculty and Curriculum, 1948–5210 Life Outside of Law School, 1949–52Law Practice11 Entry: A Law Firm Job, 195212 Sam Bard: The Man behind the Employment Offer13 Business Law Practice14 Marriage and Children15 Family Law: The Later Years of Practice16 Practising as a WomanQuebec Superior Court17 New Career Directions: "No" to Electoral Politics, "Yes" to the Bench, 1972–7318 First Months on the Bench, February to October 197319 Immigration Commission of Inquiry, October 1973 to January 197620 Quebec Superior Court, 1976–7921 Family Tragedy: Arthur's Death, 11 July 1978Quebec Court of Appeal22 Appointment to the Quebec Court of Appeal, 197923 Appellate Judging, 1979–8724 More Family TraumasSupreme Court of Canada25 Appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, 198726 Early Days on the Supreme Court of Canada27 Continuing Isolation on the Supreme Court28 Fifteen Years of Jurisprudence, 1987–2002: "The Great Dissenter"Selected Cases29 Sexual Assault: Seaboyer, 199130 Family Law and Spousal Support: Moge, 199231 Human Rights for Same-Sex Couples: Mossop, 199332 Tax Law and Sex Discrimination: Symes, 199333 More Deaths, 1987–9434 The Quebec Secession Reference: "The Most Important Case," 199835 Fairness in Immigration Law: Baker, 199936 Epilogue on EwanchukA Wider Stage37 Judicial Education and International Influence38 Retirement: A Much Heralded ExitConclusion Notes Index