Sydney Malcolm Harris was a Canadian jurist and civil libertarian who worked as a lawyer, both for the federal government and then in private practice for over 30 years before being appointed to the Ontario Provincial Court in 1976.

Early life and education

He was the grandson of Jewish immigrants who immigrated to Canada fromthe Ukraine and Poland in the 1880s. His father owned a dressmaking business and raised Sydney and his sister in their Yorkville Avenue home in Toronto. Harris won a scholarship as a student of Jarvis Collegiate Institute

Jarvis Collegiate Institute

Jarvis Collegiate Institute is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Jarvis is located on Jarvis Street. Founded in 1807 it is the second oldest high school in Ontario after the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and the oldest high school in Toronto.-History:Jarvis Collegiate was...

 and attended the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 before enrolling in Osgoode Hall Law School

Osgoode Hall Law School

Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...

 in 1939.

Early career

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Harris tried to enlist but was rejected due to poor eyesight. Instead, he went to Ottawa and became a lawyer for the government. Following the war, he returned to Toronto to practice for private law firms before opening his own practice in 1950. As a lawyer and activist he lobbied for the adoption of the Ontario Human Rights Code

Ontario Human Rights Code

The Human Rights Code of Ontario is a provincial law in the province of Ontario, Canada that gives all people equal rights and opportunities without discrimination in specific areas such as jobs, housing and services...

 in 1962, as well as amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada

Criminal Code of Canada

The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...

 in the 1960s against hate speech

Hate speech

Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....

. He also lobbied against capital punishment

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

 and public funding for religious schools saying "I see no justification for the use of my tax money to teach Protestantism to Protestant
children than I would see for the use of Anglican or Roman Catholic tax money to teach Judaism to Jewish children." Harris was a supporter of and fundraiser for the US civil rights movement

Civil rights movement

The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...

 and met with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...

 three times in 1963.

Ontario Provincial Court career

As a judge, Harris was nicknamed Syd Vicious for his heavy sentences. "If there was a reasonable doubt in a case, Syd would find it. But if he found you guilty, the penalties tended to be higher than most judges," said Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby. "It's the way he looked at the world. He wanted to make sure he didn't convict anyone who was innocent but, at the same time, he didn't like criminals. He liked justice but not criminals."

Notable rulings include his landmark 1978 acquittal of the gay magazine Body Politic

Body Politic

Body Politic is a television pilot starring Minka Kelly, Gabrielle Union, Jason Dohring, and Brian Austin Green. It is produced by CBS Television Studios for The CW....

and its publishers, Pink Triangle Press

Pink Triangle Press

Pink Triangle Press is a Canadian non-profit organization which specializes in LGBT media including publishing, online interactive media, and television. PTP's main asset is the LGBT magazine, Xtra! and its spinoffs Xtra! West and Capital Xtra!...

 of obscenity, his 1988 decision to imprison NHL player Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli

.Dino Ciccarelli is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars. He scored 1,200 points in his NHL career. His 608 career NHL goals are also the most goals scored by a draft-eligible player who was not...

 for his on-ice attack of Toronto Maple Leaf Luke Richardson

Luke Richardson

Luke Glen Richardson is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Richardson played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League...

 and his 1983 decision to acquit furrier Paul Magder for violating the law against Sunday shopping

Sunday shopping

Sunday shopping refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognizes as the Sabbath, a "day of rest". Rules governing shopping hours, such as Sunday shopping, vary around the world but some European nations continue to ban Sunday shopping...

 by opening his store.

Later years

He retired from the criminal court in 1992, but later became a Small Claims Court judge and also served in his later years as a member of the Ontario Assessment Review Board, referee for the Law Society of Upper Canada and an appointee of the Council for the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors.

Personal life

He was a prominent opponent of the neo-nazi movement in the 1960s. At a time when the Jewish community was reticent to publicly oppose anti-Semites, he stood before a congregation of 1,500 at a Toronto's Beth Tzedec Synagogue and read out the names and addresses of three prominent Toronto neo-nazis and their supporters.

He was active in the Jewish community and served as president of the Canadian Council of Reform Congregations in the 1960s, and as national president of the Canadian Jewish Congress

Canadian Jewish Congress

The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...

from 1974 to 1977.