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ARTICLE · 05 JULY 2021

As Her Former Clerks, Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella's Legacy Is Deeply Personal

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The worn motif that justice must be done in sombre chambers surrounded by volumes of legal tomes is cast off when you enter Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella's office at the Supreme Court of Canada.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Jeremy Opolsky
Jeremy Opolsky
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The worn motif that justice must be done in sombre chambers surrounded by volumes of legal tomes is cast off when you enter Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella's office at the Supreme Court of Canada.

We all remember our first time setting foot in her chambers. A cacophony of colour and kitsch, the office walls vibrate with bold art and personal history: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Betty Boop, the law certificate of her father from the Jagiellonian University. The air is rich with jazz, classical and American standards, including from the greats like the Gershwin Brothers and Cole Porter. Mementos of her love of musical theatre are sprinkled everywhere.

Her office is a testament to what Justice Abella has described as the “crucial difference between an open mind and [an] empty one.”

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