Alyn 'James' Johnson holds a PhD in Constitutional and Administrative Law (Queen’s University, 2018) and a PhD in English Literature (Queen’s University, 1995). He worked for six years as a Research Lawyer at Norton Rose Canada LLP in Toronto, and taught for five years as an English Professor at several Ontario universities.
Through Public Law Solutions, James has worked on numerous constitutional and administrative law matters, and has drafted arguments for both the superior and the federal courts.
He is particularly fascinated by the institutional allocations of public power, and the impact of these configurations on citizens and organizations. His dissertation in law focuses on constitutional structure, the judicial control of executive and legislative power, and democratic revitalization. He has also studied extensively in the area of Environmental Law.
During his time at Norton Rose, James performed research on a wide array of administrative law, constitutional law, corporate/commercial, and regulatory matters in Ontario and other Canadian common law jurisdictions. He drafted memorandums, opinions, and factums for Norton Rose lawyers and clients of the firm, and worked on judicial reviews before the Ontario and Federal Courts. James has also performed research on the law in other common law jurisdictions (UK, US, Australia, New Zealand).
His previous work in English literature focused on racism, postcolonialism, and modern literature.
James is licensed to practice law in Ontario.
“The 2018 Toronto Municipal Election: Judicial Failure to Protect the Structure of the Canadian Constitution” (2020) Constitutional Forum (forthcoming).
“The Case for a Canadian Non-delegation Doctrine” (2019) 52:3 UBC L. Rev. 817.
“Imperial Tobacco and Trial Lawyers: An Unstable and Unsuccessful Retreat” (2019) 57:1 Alta. L. Rev. 29.
“The Judges Reference and the Secession Reference at Twenty: Reassessing the Supreme Court of Canada’s Unfinished Unwritten Constitutional Principles Project” (2019) 56:4 Alta. L. Rev. 1077.
“Environmental Protection under The Fisheries Act and Bill C-68: Progress or Regress?” (2019) 70 UNB L.J. 104.
“Abdicating Responsibility: The Unprincipled Use of Deference in Lavoie v. Canada” (2004) 42.2 Alta. L. Rev. 561.