Goldwin Arthur Martin (17 May 191326 February 2001) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who was known as an expert on

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

. He was a judge of the

Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Societ ...

from 1973 to 1988.

Early life and education

Martin was born on 17 May 1913 in

Huntsville, Ontario Huntsville is a town in Muskoka. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay. Of the three big Muskoka towns, it is the largest by population (21,147 per 2021 census) and land area (710.64 km2). Huntsville is located in the ...

. He graduated from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall L ...

in 1938 as gold medallist. He was called to the bar of Ontario in June of that year and to the bar of British Columbia in 1950.

Career

Martin became a defence lawyer in 1940. He represented 60 people charged with murder and none were convicted of murder, although some were convicted of other offences. He was elected

treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...

in 1970. He was appointed to the

in 1973, and retired in 1988. John Arnup called Martin "the greatest criminal lawyer this country has produced". As a criminal defender, Martin developed techniques including the use of

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

es and the

insanity defence The insanity defense, also known as the mental disorder defense, is an affirmative defense by excuse in a criminal case, arguing that the defendant is not responsible for their actions due to an episodic psychiatric disease at the time of the ...

. In 1993, Martin chaired a royal commission on the use of plea bargaining in Ontario. The commission's recommendations enhanced the reputation of plea bargains, which had earlier been viewed with some suspicion by lawyers and judges. Martin died on 26 February 2001 in Toronto.

Awards

He was appointed an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1991 and became a companion in 1997. He received honorary doctorates of law from Queen's University and the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...

. The Ontario Criminal Lawyers' Association presents the G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal for an outstanding contribution to criminal justice.

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Goldwin Arthur 1913 births 2001 deaths Canadian King's Counsel Companions of the Order of Canada Justices of the Court of Appeal for Ontario Lawyers in Ontario People from Huntsville, Ontario Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada