James Lockyer (born December 21, 1949) is a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and a prominent social justice activist in Toronto, Canada. He is a founding director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC). He has been involved in exposing more than ten wrongful convictions in Canada, including the cases of Guy Paul Morin, David Milgaard,

Clayton Johnson Clayton may refer to: People *Clayton (name) * Clayton baronets * The Clayton Brothers, Jeff and John, jazz musicians *Clayton Brothers, Rob and Christian, painter artists * Justice Clayton (disambiguation), the judges Clayton Places Canada * Cl ...

and

Gregory Parsons The murder of Catherine Carroll occurred on January 1, 1991, in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. In the aftermath a miscarriage of justice occurred, resulting in the wrongful conviction of Carroll's son ...

. Several of these cases have become the subject of public inquiries. Born in

Orpington, England Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Mary ...

, he studied law at University of Nottingham but did not complete his studies there. In 1972 he accepted a scholarship to McGill University in Montreal where he finished his law degree and began teaching. Mr. Lockyer also taught law at the University of Windsor until 1977, when he went into private practice as a

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 ...

yer. Lockyer is a former law partner with Edward H. Royle. Mr. Lockyer has worked on behalf of

Steven Truscott Steven Murray Truscott (born January 18, 1945) is a Canadians, Canadian man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1959 for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper. Truscott had been the last known person to see her alive. He w ...

, whose 1959 conviction of the murder of

Lynne Harper Steven Murray Truscott (born January 18, 1945) is a Canadians, Canadian man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1959 for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper. Truscott had been the last known person to see her alive. He w ...

came under review by 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 ...

, and of Robert Baltovich, whose murder conviction was quashed by the Ontario Court of Appeal in November, 2004. On August 28, 2007, the Ontario Court of Appeal acquitted Steven Truscott, concluding, "based on evidence that qualifies as fresh evidence in these proceedings, we are satisfied that Mr. Truscott's conviction was a miscarriage of justice and must be quashed". On April 22, 2008, Robert Baltovich was also acquitted in his retrial, after the Crown declined to present any evidence against him. Lockyer has twice been a candidate for the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

. He ran federally in the Toronto riding of St. Paul's, first in the 1979 federal election and then in the 1980 federal election. He placed third on both attempts. He is an "OSE" (Old St. Edwardian), or alumnus, of

St. Edward's School, Oxford St Edward's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Oxford, England. It is known informally as 'Teddies'. Approximately sixty pupils live in each of its thirteen houses. The school is a member of the Rugby ...

, an English Public school.

Awards

* Doctor of Laws, University of Victoria, 2009 * G. Arthur Martin medal for outstanding contribution to criminal justice, 2004 * Doctor of Laws, University of Windsor, 2015Eight luminaries to receive honorary degrees
University of Windsor website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockyer, James Lawyers in Ontario Canadian activists New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Living people Members of the Order of Canada People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford 1949 births McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Candidates in the 1980 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election