But Why Him? A Review of The Tenth Justice: Judicial Appointments, Marc Nadon, and the Supreme Court Act Reference, by Carissima Mathen and Michael Plaxton

To the great benefit of the Canadian legal community and the Canadian public, the authors have created an extensive, concise, and highly readable account of the Nadon saga. Anyone unfamiliar with the purported appointment of Justice Nadon to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Reference re Supreme Court Act, ss 5 and 6 (also known as the Nadon Reference), and the aftermath will find this book invaluable. I expect this work will become the definitive and authoritative account of this saga and that it will be indispensable to future scholars.

I begin this review with a brief overview of the content and organization of the book. Within that context, I then focus on the debates the book raises and provokes and on the mysteries that remain for future work.