Fashion Victims Unit: The Canadian Supreme Court

We’ve been on a bit of a Canada kick here at ATL. What can we say, those Canadians are teh funny.
Check out this story (robe swish: Paul Horwitz of PrawfsBlawg):

Some [Canadian] Supreme Court judges seek relief from work stress in the comfort of their families. Others love nothing more than to curl up with a good book. And could it be, for at least one of them, a nude romp on the high seas was just the ticket?

The anonymous judge’s alleged unconventional vacation choice — a nude cruise — came to light in a San Francisco Chronicle travel article in the spring. It quoted a co-owner of the Bare Necessities cruise line, Nancy Tiemann, as saying that its clientele include: “actors, bus drivers, Fortune 500 CEOs, soccer moms, doctors, teachers, priests and at least one Canadian Supreme Court justice.” * * * * *

The story came to the attention of Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who swiftly launched an investigation into which, if any, of her eight colleagues was the alleged unrobed sailor.

Can Canadian judges, like our federal judges, be impeached for violating the norms of “good behavior”? Because we agree with Ann Althouse: “[A] naked cruise? It’s just so perfectly awful.”
Alas, the Chief Justice’s investigation ended inconclusively:

Speaking to an audience at the University of Toronto law school last week, [Justice Marshall] Rothstein read a tongue-in-cheek memo which Chief Justice McLachlin circulated to her Supreme Court colleagues on May 12.

Entitled “Re. Nude Cruising,” the memo said: “I made inquiries into the identity of the judge, but was rebuffed [by the article writer] on a claim of journalistic privilege. . . . All this is to say, that our secret is safe.”

Judge Rothstein assured his audience that, having been appointed only in March, he cannot be considered a serious suspect in the nude-cruise inquiry.

If the justice who likes to vacation in the buff is ever discovered, we can’t really blame him or her for wanting to go au naturel. Here’s what Canadian justices look like in their ceremonial robes (also via PrawfsBlawg):

In case you’re wondering, the robes are “of bright scarlet, trimmed with Canadian white mink.”
Your Honors: Eager to supplement your judicial incomes? The West Edmonton Mall is still interviewing Santa Claus candidates. And the Salvation Army is looking for sidewalk fundraisers right now. Christmas is less than two months away!
Underneath Their Robes? The Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada [PrawfsBlawg]
Which Supreme Court Justice went on a nude cruise? [Althouse]
Did Supreme Court judge throw away briefs? [Toronto Globe and Mail]
Finally, the Naked Truth Aboot Nude Cruises [San Francisco Chronicle via How Appealing]
Aboot the Court [Supreme Court of Canada]
Earlier: Law and Order: Fashion Victims Unit
Prior ATL coverage of Canada (scroll down)

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