Alberta’s top court has quashed the contempt conviction for a Crown attorney who ran afoul of a justice of the peace who wouldn’t listen to him at a bail hearing.

Justice of the Peace Diane T. Luttmer ejected prosecutor James D. Wilson from her courtroom and convicted him of contempt this past May. The Court of Appeal recently overturned Wilson’s conviction.

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“The right of a party to be heard … is a fundamental principle of natural justice,” said a recent decision out of Calgary from the three-judge panel.

“Breach of that right leads to a denial of natural justice, harms the reputation of the administration of justice, and raises concerns regarding the appearance of impartiality. It is clear that the (justice of the peace) in this case — for reasons not apparent in th

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