John Josiah Robinette, (November 20, 1906 – November 18, 1996) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

lawyer who was one of Canada's premier legal authorities and litigators. Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, he attended the University of Toronto Schools. In 1926, he received a B.A. in political science from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. 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 La ...

and was called to the bar in 1929. He joined the Toronto firm of McCarthy & McCarthy (now

McCarthy Tetrault McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Château MacCa ...

) in 1949 and stayed until his retirement in the early 90s. He became renowned as a barrister and was lead counsel in a number of prominent cases. In 1947, he appealed and eventually won the case of

Evelyn Dick Evelyn Dick ( MacLean, born October 13, 1920) was a Canadian woman convicted of murder until her pardon in 1985. Her trials remain among the most sensationalized events in Canada, Canadian criminal history. Background and case Dick was born in ...

after her conviction for murder in 1946. In 1952 he unsuccessfully defended the notorious bank robbers, The Boyd Gang. He was lead counsel in the

Patriation Reference ''Reference Re Resolution to amend the Constitution'' – also known as the Patriation Reference – is a historic Supreme Court of Canada reference case that occurred during negotiations for the patriation of the Constitution of Canada. ...

before the

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. Robinette was also hired by opponents of the cancelled

Spadina Expressway William R. Allen Road, also known as Allen Road, the Allen Expressway and colloquially as the Allen, is a short expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue West, heading north to just ...

in 1971 to make their case at the

Ontario Municipal Board The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It heard applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes, as well as other matters sp ...

. He was appointed

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in 1944. From 1958 until 1962 he was treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada. In 1973 he was made a Companion 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 ...

. He served as Chancellor of

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

from 1984 to 1987.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinette, John Josiah 1906 births 1996 deaths Canadian King's Counsel Chancellors of Trent University Companions of the Order of Canada Lawyers in Ontario Members of the Order of Ontario People from Toronto Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian lawyers