Robert Leckey

The Honourable
Robert Leckey
Born
Robert Leckey

Ontario, Canada
CitizenshipCanadian
OccupationsJudge, lawyer, academic
Known forDean of McGill University Faculty of Law; constitutional and family law scholarship
TitleJustice of the Superior Court of Quebec
AwardsPierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship
Academic background
Alma materQueen's University, McGill University, University of Toronto
Academic work
DisciplineLaw
Sub-disciplineConstitutional law, Family law, LGBTQ+ rights law
InstitutionsMcGill University Faculty of Law
Main interestsConstitutional law, Family law, Human/LGBTQ+ rights
Notable worksFamilies and the Constitution: Remembering the Unrecognized (2014)

Robert Leckey is a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, District of Montreal.[1] From 2016 to 2025, he was the Dean of McGill University's Faculty of Law.

Education

Robert Leckey graduated from Queen's University with a BAH in English literature and History in 1997.[2] In 2002 he graduated from McGill University Faculty of Law with BCL and LLB degrees.[3][4] He served as Editor-in-Chief of the McGill Law Journal while at McGill University. He also pursued an academic exchange from 2001-2002 at Université de Paris, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University through the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec (CREPUQ) program.[2][3][5]

After graduation he was a clerk to Justice Michel Bastarache at the Supreme Court of Canada. He then graduated from his SJD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law,[6] where he was a Trudeau Scholar.[7]

Career

Leckey is known for his work in family law, specifically his work on the subject of same-sex equality under the family law and legal system of Canada.[8][9] He is an active supporter of LGBT rights in Quebec and has made open statements against government policies that affect LGBT communities negatively.[10][11] He has also provided arguments that try to poke holes in modern family law ethics, such as the concept of divorce.[12] Leckey has worked in the field of human rights law[13] He has also been active in LGBTQ rights advocacy, serving previously as chair of Egale Canada’s Legal Issues Committee and criticizing legal and policy inequalities affecting same-sex couples in family law contexts.[14][15]

In 2009 he was awarded the John W. Durnford Prize for Teaching Excellence and le Prix d'essai juridique for his legal scholarship.[16] In 2010 he was awarded the Canada Prize for his 2008 book Contextual Subjects: Family, State and Relational Theory, a national book award given only once every four years.[17] In 2015, Leckey became a full professor. In 2016, he was named to the Samuel Gale Chair. On July 1, 2016, he began a five-year term as dean of the McGill Faculty of Law. From 2014 to 2016, Leckey was the director of the Paul-André Crépeau Centre for Private and Comparative Law. From 2008 to 2011, he chaired the McGill Equity Subcommittee on Queer People.[18]

On January 27, 2025, Leckey was appointed as a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec.[19] His appointment swiftly drew sharp criticism, including from Quebec’s Justice Minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette.[20][21]

Controversies

In 2022, Leckey was strongly criticized in his position as Dean regarding the Faculty of Law's lack of measures to counter the spread of COVID-19.[22][23] He referred to a student strike, initiated by referendum, as a "boycott"[24] and insisted that he cannot mandate measures in classes due to professorial independence.[22] Nonetheless, he has opposed professorial unionization on the grounds that law professors should not form a bargaining unit separate from other professors at McGill.[25]

In September 2025, Leckey's appointment as a judge was challenged by Droits collectifs Québec, a non-profit organization, on the basis that Leckey failed to meet the constitutional requirements for office. They claim that judges of the Superior Court of Quebec must be members of the Barreau du Québec for a minimum of 10 years prior to appointment to the bench. Leckey had only been a member of the Quebec bar for seven years at the time of his appointment.[26][27] The Constitution Act, 1867 requires that "The Judges of the Courts of Quebec shall be selected from the Bar of that Province" while the Judges Act requires that an appointee "is a barrister or advocate of at least 10 years’ standing at the bar of any province".[28][29][30] Leckey was previously a member of the Ontario bar.[31]

Personal life

Leckey is fluently bilingual, having taught and published in both English and French and contributing to Quebec francophone legal scholarly networks.[32]

Leckey is openly gay and has written extensively on the legal recognition of same-sex relationships in Canada.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ "Robert Leckey". Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Leckey". Queen’s University Department of History. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Dean Leckey's legacy gift to Law". McGill Giving. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Leckey appointed Dean of Law". McGill Reporter. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Robert Leckey – Education". LinkedIn. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Robert Leckey". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  7. ^ "Home | Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation".
  8. ^ "McGill Workshop: Radical Formations — Sex, Race, Trans". Montreal Gazette. April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ "International McGill University conference puts transgender civil rights front and centre". Montreal Gazette. April 10, 2013. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  10. ^ Margaret Sommerville (October 13, 2009). "A simple answer to Quebec's simple adoption question". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  11. ^ Alain Roy (October 28, 2009). "Free opinion - Adoption reform: the interests of the child". Le Devoir. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  12. ^ Chris Selley (November 24, 2011). "Chris Selley's Full Pundit: Many wives, many problems". National Post. Retrieved April 19, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ^ Caroline Rodgers (August 11, 2010). "Work-family obligations of the employer". La Presse. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  14. ^ Leckey, Robert. "Reflections from Quebec on Language, Identity, and Constitutional Reform". Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Robert Leckey Promoted to Full Professor". McGill University. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Coup double pour le professeur Robert Leckey". Droit-inc.com. May 12, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  17. ^ "Robert Leckey's book wins Canada Prize". McGill Reporter. August 17, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  18. ^ "New McGill law dean to focus on multiple legal traditions". www.canadianlawyermag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-02.
  19. ^ "Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Quebec". www.canada.ca/en/department-justice.html. 27 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Quebec denounces appointment of Bill 21, Bill 96 critic Robert Leckey to court". www.montrealgazette.com.
  21. ^ "Un juge «militant» contre la loi 21 nommé par Ottawa". www.ledevoir.com. 30 January 2025.
  22. ^ a b Genest, Gabrielle (26 January 2022). "Les étudiant·e·s en droit préparent une grève" (in French). Le Délit. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  23. ^ Joëlle, Geneviève [@genevievejoelle] (31 January 2022). "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Students at #McGill law voted overwhelmingly in favour to strike due to unsafe covid conditions. We stand in solidarity with our unionizing profs, students with disabilities & students w/ caretaking responsibilities. Please boost and share! #McGillOnStrike" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Thomas, Julia [@juliaebthom] (1 February 2022). "If it were a boycott we would be withholding our tuition. We're withholding our labour at our own financial and professional risk - sounds like a strike!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "For the First Time in 200 Years, McGill Professors of Law are Unionizing (or Attempting to)". Legalease (Podcast). CKUT-FM. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022 – via SoundCloud.
  26. ^ Pirro, Raphaël (September 14, 2025). "La nomination du juge Robert Leckey contestée en cour par un organisme prolaïcité". Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
  27. ^ "Judicial rights group challenges judge's appointment to Quebec Superior Court - Montreal | Globalnews.ca". Global News. September 14, 2025.
  28. ^ Mach, Jessica (16 September 2025). "Advocacy group challenging McGill dean's judicial appointment cites Quebec's unique legal needs". Canadian Lawyer. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  29. ^ "The Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982".
  30. ^ "Judges Act".
  31. ^ Lafontaine, Miriam (14 September 2025). "Judicial rights group denounces judge's appointment to Quebec Superior Court". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  32. ^ "Robert Leckey Promoted to Full Professor". McGill University. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  33. ^ Leckey, Robert (2014). "Families and the Constitution: Remembering the Unrecognized". McGill-Queen’s University Press. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  34. ^ "Robert Leckey: Biography". Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Retrieved 28 September 2025.

www.mcgill.ca/law/about/profs/leckey-robert

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