Michael Spratt is often consulted by members of the media on emerging legal and justice issues. Many of Mr. Spratt's cases receive media attention both locally and nationally. The following represent a selection of such articles:
Canadian Lawyer: May 2017: Proposed new jails are proof Canada is not upholding UN norms
Globe and Mail: May 2017: Most Canadians oppose giving police greater powers to obtain breath samples: poll
CPAC: May 2017: Primetime Politics
The Lawyer's Daily: May 2017: Fine line between plain language and inappropriate commentary in judicial decisions
Globe and Mail: April 2017: Mulcair calls out Trudeau on ‘hypocrisy’ in marijuana anecdote
Metro News: April 2017: Safe Space Ep. 9: Pot puns and police tweets
CTV News: April 2017: Marijuana bill gives police too much power to search drivers: civil rights groups
APTN News: April 2017: Gladue report program in Ottawa facing too many delays, tying up courts and local jail: Lawyers
CTV News: April 2017: Trudeau says his father got his brother help in dealing with pot charge
Canadian Lawyer: April 2017: Broken pot promise would send Liberals’ credibility up in smoke
The Lawyers's Daily: April 2017: Silence not the answer to Ottawa's police controversies
CBC News: April 2017: Ottawa police officer disciplined for taking unmarked car to Montreal bachelor party
Vice News: April 2017: Why Critics Are Saying Justin Trudeau’s Weed Bill Is a Continuation of the War on Drugs
Globe and Mail: April 2017: Opinion: Policing the problem of 'us versus them'
CBC News: April 2017: Retroactive changes to criminal pardons violate charter rights, B.C. judge rules
Toronto Star: March 2017: Scrapping preliminary hearings 'not going to solve' problem of court delays
Ottawa Sun: March 2017: After Abdi's death, public deserves more than police technicalities
Canadian Lawyer: March 2017: Liberals pick only low-hanging justice fruit with Bill C-39
CBC: February 2017: Province gets 'kickback' from inmates' collect calls, lawyer says
CBC: February 2017: Liberals looking to eliminate many mandatory minimum sentences, justice minister says
CBC: February 2017: Criminal courts scramble to meet Supreme Court's new trial timelines
Globe and Mail: February 2017: Ontario prosecutors told they can skip preliminary inquiries to avoid delays
Capital News: February 2017: Majority of Ontario inmates yet to be convicted
iPolitics: Janaury 2017: Cone of silence over Mark Norman's removal fuelling rumours: lawyer
CBC: January 2016: Elliot Lake mall collapse trial nears end
Vice: January 2017: New Video Shows Toronto Cops Tasering a Man on the Ground and Telling People Not to Film It
Toronto Star: December 2017: Criminal-record database spotty and out of date, lawyers lament
CBA National: December 2016: Will the Criminal Code finally get a makeover in 2017?
Ottawa Sun: December 2016: Province to see bail reforms, more judges and prosecutors hired, attorney general announces
iPolitics: November 2016: Thibeault 'should face charges,' says Democracy Watch co-founder
CBC: November 2016: Creep Catchers bring vigilante tactics to Ottawa Valley
Canadian Lawyer: November 2016: Trudeau’s government should act on promises of justice reform
iPolitics: November 2016: The RCMP needs you scared — and the media seems happy to help
CBC November 2016: Government defends retroactive elements of criminal pardons law
Law Times: November 2016: Challenge to hinge on pardon waiting period
CTV: November 2016: Take a rare look inside the notorious Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre
VICE: October 2016: Why It’s So Hard to Fire Bad Cops in Ontario
CBC: October 2016: Brampton man filmed plying woman with vodka guilty of sex assault
CBC: October 2016: 7,500 people to get texts asking for info in Frederick John Hatch homicide, OPP say
CTV: October 2016: OPP use court-obtained cell data to text over 7,500 possible murder witnesses
CBC: October 2016: How video like this can be 'very powerful' evidence in sexual assault trials
Ottawa Sun: October 2016: Police racism? It’s part of the system
CBC: September 2016: Elliot Lake mall collapse investigation needs 'second look,' resident says
Vice: September 2016: Why the Ottawa Cop Who Made Racist Facebook Comments Likely Won't Be Held Accountable
Vice Canada: September 2016: Rape Trial In Which Complainant Was Blackout Drunk Raises Questions About Consent
Canadian Lawyer: August 2016: The thin blue line: police accountability
CTV News: July 2016: Ottawa man dies after arrest that left him in a 'pool of blood'
Canadian Lawyer: July 2016: It’s been 25 years since Askov but little has changed
Vice Canada: July 2016: Calgary Man Said He’s ‘Sorry’ for Killing House Party Guests He Believed Were Werewolves
Ottawa Sun: June 2016: SPRATT: Crown bury heads in sand on bail failures
Canadian Lawyer: June 2016: The war on drugs blindly marches on
CBC News: May 2016: Lawyers, advocates call for bail reform to ease jail overcrowding
Metro: May 2016: Ottawa police officers never charged after 'egregious' Charter breaches
CBC News: May 2016: Trudeau grab an assault? Maybe technically, but PM unlikely to be charged
Ottawa Sun: May 2016: Conviction overturned after police breach woman's rights
Canadian Lawyer: May 2016: The ‘Dickensian hellscape’ of our jails
Canadian Lawyer: May 2016: Higher standard of proof required for police discipline: appeal court
Ottawa Citizen: May 2016: Editorial: Brampton drinking and driving ruling may have wide implications
iPolitics: April 2016: The Liberals say they have big plans for criminal law. So where are they?
Canadian Press: April 2016: Canada lacks full picture of issues related to bail: Justice documents
Huffington Post: April 2016: Mike Duffy Ruling Could Put Brakes On Expense Cases Against Other Senators
Maclean's: April 2016: Maclean’s on the Hill: Mike Duffy is not guilty
Sun News: April 2016: Expect Duffy to beat some -- but not all - 31 charges
CBC: April 2016: Mike Duffy ruling could put brakes on expense cases against other senators
CanadaLand: April 2016: Trial By Media, Media On Trial
The Coast: April 2016: Weapons of mass intimidation
Global News: April 2016: Duffy Trial: Crown needed to prove intent to get a conviction, says expert
Canadian Lawyer: April 2016: The Criminal Code is a weighty book — literally
Canadian Lawyer: March 2016: Obviously hard to prove
CBC: March 2016: Watchdog to probe complaint against Ottawa police in hit-and-run death
Vice: March 2016: Canadian Police Used Lie Detectors In Parliament Hill Terror Attack Investigation
Canadian Lawyer: February 2016: Think Making a Murderer can’t happen in Canada? Think again
VICE: February 2016: What the Jian Ghomeshi Trial Tells Us About Victim Blaming, Credibility, and Traumatic Memories
Toronto Star: February 2016: Local defence lawyers see strong week for Jian Ghomeshi
CBC: February 2016: What's it like to testify in a sexual assault case?
Globe and Mail: February 2016: Federal prosecutors maintain hard line on pot as legalization looms
iPolitics: February 2016: Duffy’s fraud and bribery trial hits the home stretch Monday
Vice: January 2016: Front-line Toronto Cops to get Military-Grade Assault Rifles
VICE: January 2016: We Asked Lawyers if the Prosecution in the Ghomeshi Trial is Performing as Badly as It Seems
Canadian Lawyer: January 2016: More than sunny ways needed to address mandatory minimums
BuzzFeed Canada: January 2016: The RCMP Lied That Children Were In Danger So They Could Illegally Enter A Home
Ottawa Sun: January 2016: Making a Murderer dissected by Ottawa lawyers in podcast
Huffington Post: January 2016: Toronto Police Rifle Purchase: Critic Slams Decision As 'Incredibly Misguided'
Ottawa Sun: January 2016: Trailers set up to house temp staff at Innes Rd. jail
CBC: January 2016: Making a Murderer: Ottawa lawyers dissect Netflix series on podcast
Ottawa Sun: December 2015: Inmates refuse meals to protest Innes Rd. jail conditions
Ottawa Sun: November 2015: 'Inhumane' Innes Rd. jail getting a makeover: Naqvi
Ottawa Sun: November 2015: Patrick Brazeau's slap on wrist not right: Defence lawyer
Ottawa Sun: September 2015: Beefed-up court security a foolish over-reaction
iPolitics: October 2015: Stow that spliff, Canada — you won’t be lighting up legally for a while yet
Global News: October 2015: Group threatens Liberals with new legal challenge over sex work law
Ottawa Sun: September 2015: Human and financial costs of drug war just too high: Spratt
Toronto Star: August 2015: Mounties give Pamela Wallin file to Crown, CTV reports
CTV: August 2015: RCMP investigation into Pamela Wallin's expenses handed to Crown
Law Times: August 2015: Prof concerned as legal issues sidelined by politics in Duffy case
National Post: August 2015: Michael Spratt: The public’s interest in the Mike Duffy affair
National Post: August 2015: Michael Spratt: The Duffy trial’s ironic twist
CTV News: August 2015: Wright testimony may hurt Crown's case in Duffy trial: criminal lawyer
CTV Power Play (video): August 2015: Did Wright help or hurt Duffy?
CBC (video): August 2015: Defence lawyer on Nigel Wright testimony
Ottawa Sun: August 2015: Ottawa Police Service's board's dismissal of racial data 'a disgrace'
Globe and Mail: August 2015: Five things to watch for as the Duffy trial resumes
iPolitics: August 2015: The Duffy trial: What will Nigel Wright say — and how will voters react?
CTV News: August 2015: Harper facing questions after PMO staffer spotted talking to witness at Duffy trial
Ottawa Citizen: August 2015: Ottawa jail in 'crisis' as lockdowns continue to soar
Macleans: August 2015: Election Issues 2015: A Maclean’s primer on marijuana
Ottawa Sun: July 2015: Cops need new ideas to beat Ottawa's gang issues says lawyer Michael Spratt
ICI Radio-Canada: July 2015: Des gardiens privés s'occuperont des mesures de sécurité au palais de justice d'Ottawa
OSCAR: July 2015: Getting Smart About Crime
The Lawyers Weekly: July 2015: Friedman sees opportunity lost for police scrutiny
Canadian Press: July 2015: Federal victim surcharge bound for Supreme Court, defence lawyers say
Canadian Press: June 2015: Placing Del Mastro in handcuffs, leg irons standard procedure: OPP
Global News: June 2015: Conservatives spend almost $7M defending unconstitutional legislation
Ottawa Sun: June 2015: Ottawa street checks are the 'wild west,' lawyer says
Global News: June 2015: Lawyer crowdfunding challenge to tough-on-crime law he calls ‘unfair, unconstitutional’
Globe and Mail: May 2015: Man crowdfunding his fight against the 10-year wait for a legal pardon
CBA National Magazine: May 2014: Crowdfunding justice
The Lawyers Weekly: May 2015: Lawyers warn bill on fast track could have unanticipated fallout
Halifax Herald: May 2015: Rehtaeh law at centre of hate speech debate
CBC: May 2015: FHRITP charges serve as deterrent — even without a conviction
MacLean's: May 2015: A rough guide to the charges against Mike Duffy
Toronto Star: May 2015: Pilot's assault conviction comes with warning to Air Canada
City News: May 2015: Duffy trial enters week 2, senate human resources employee to testify
National Post: April 2015: Michael Spratt: Don’t expect fireworks at the Mike Duffy trial
Law Times: April 2015: Police granted extra 12 months to try to crack suspect’s computer encryption
The Law Times: The Hill: Decision against federal lawyer’s election run sparks outrage in Ottawa
iPolitics: April 2015: ‘Judicial activism’ isn’t killing Harper’s crime agenda — Harper is
CTV Canada AM: March 2015: Jury reaches an impasse
National Post: March 2015: Michael Spratt: Conservatives have neither the law nor the facts on their side in the niqab debate
iPolitics: March 2015: Hypocrites in a hurry — Harper’s mad dash to pass C-51
iPolitics: March 2015: Key legal voices blocked from C-51 committee debate
Vice: March 2015: Some Kind of Monster: A Brief History of Harper’s Big Fat Omnibus Bills
Halifax Herald: March 2015: No-chance parole bill in spotlight
CBA National Magazine: March 2015: Life sentences without parole
Globe and Mail: February 2015: Fair trial in question for Ottawa man linked to 2007 triple homicide
Metro: February 2015: Ontario Government’s blocking of lawyer’s blog ‘troubling’
Global News: January 2015: RCMP seeking ‘accountability’ after Alberta RCMP shooter released from jail
iPolitics: January 2015: You thought your phone was private. You were wrong.
iPolitics: January 2015: Please don’t confuse Peter MacKay with facts
iPolitics: January 2015: When Peter MacKay committed sociology
iPolitics: January 2015: Life behind bars: the politics of despair
Ottawa Metro: Eight days of deliberations not surprising in Magnotta trial, say Ottawa lawyers
Ottawa Sun: December 31: Man held in Boxing Day shooting at Tanger Outlet mall
Halifax Herald: December 2014: LEGER: Eroding civil rights for political gain
CTV News: December 2014: Magnotta jury must now decide 'what was going through his mind'
iPolitics: November 2014: Prison nation: What locking up more people is costing us
iPolitics: November 2014: Franck Gervais did a dumb thing. Should it be a crime?
iPolitics: November 2014: The honour killing bill: Who’s the barbarian now?
National Magazine: November 2014: New laws for Canada's spies
CBC Radio: December 2014: Mandatory charges for domestic violence
Post Media: November 2014: Massimo Pacetti incident could be misunderstanding, former colleague says
iPolitics: November 2014: Secret witnesses? Curtailed cross-exams? The poison pill in the ‘victims’ rights bill’
National Post: November 2014: Lawyers criticize Tories’ victim’s rights bill that would give judges power to let witnesses testify anonymously
CBC Radio - Ottawa Morning: October 2014: After 20 years Ontario is making it easier to get Legal Aid
Globe and Mail: October 2014: Judge set to rule on Moncton shootings
iPolitics: October 2014: Here come the thought police
Ottawa Sun: October 2014: Barnett guilty of manslaughter, not murder: Defence
CTV Caanada AM: October 2014: Sentencing hearing for Moncton Shooter
Global News: September 2014: Magnotta trial: The art of jury selection
Global News: September 2014: Magnotta trial: What do we know? What will the trial reveal?
CTV: Canada AM: September 2014: Magnotta jury selection process similar to voodoo: lawyer
iPolitics: September 2014: Firing blind: The Harper government’s bungled crime agenda
Globe and Mail: August 2014: Serious error found in a second Tory crime bill
Metro News: August 2014: No charges for man who ‘accidentally’ broke into Trudeau family home
iPolitics: August 2014: The Harper government’s lonely struggle against reality
National Post: August 2014: Growing number of Canadian police forces bulking up with armoured vehicles
Some Honourable Members Podcast: August 2014: Privacy and Justice
Huffington Post: August 2014: Trudeau Break-In: Tory MP Ryan Leef Apologizes For Twitter Joke
CBA National Magazine: August 2014: The victim surcharge: Mandatory or not?
Global News: August 2014: Commissioner mum on new robocalls investigation after Sona verdict
iPolitics: August 2014: The creeping militarization of the police
iPolitics: July 2014: Why didn’t the Mounties charge Nigel Wright? Tactics
Ottawa Sun: July 2014: Giroux apologizes for Canada Day cop butt grab
Ottawa Sun: June 2014: Vet suffers in jail without meds
Press Progress: June 2014: 10 reasons you should be creeped out by Stephen Harper's anti-privacy agenda
CBA National Magazine: June 2014: Reactions to proposed prostitution laws
Ottawa Citizen: June 2014: Justin Ling: Spidey Senses tingling over C-13
Motherboard (Vice): June 2014: Can Canada's Likely New Privacy Commissioner Be Trusted to Watch the Watchers?
Law Times: May 2014: Sex Offender Database Lawyers expect constitutional challenge to new registry
Ottawa Sun: May 2014: Record checks a 'black mark' to some
Globe and Mail: May 2014: Law groups urge government to revamp cyberbullying bill
The Chronicle Herald: May 2014: Lawyers slam feds’ cyberbullying bill at Ottawa parliamentary committee
The Lawyers Weekly: May 2014: Judge stresses rehabilitation in illegal firearms transfer case
iPolitics: May 2014: Suddenly, it’s open season on judges
CBA National Magazine: May 2014: The cyberbullying bill at committee
iPolitics: May 2014: Does the government’s enemies list now include judges?
iPolitics: May 2014: RCMP made a ‘tactical’ decision to end Wright investigation, Spratt argues
Canadian Lawyer: April 2014: SCC defends judicial discretion in sentencing
CTV News: February 2014: Proposed sex-offender registry will not deter crime, criminal lawyer warns
Ottawa Citizen: January 2014: Suited up for court: Jail OKs wardrobe program for inmates
iPolitics: January: 2014: One law for the rich, another for everyone else
CBC Ottawa Morning: January 2014: Rowbotham applications and access to justice
Ottawa Sun: January 2014: Defence lawyer blasts legal aid decisions that end costing taxpayers more court legal wrangling, delays
iPolitics: December 2013: Mandatory victim fines: It’s not about justice
Ottawa Citizen: December 2013: Brockville judge criticizes colleagues who skirt victims fine surcharge law
iPolitics: December 2013: Presumed guilty: DNA and the police
iPolitics: November 2013: C-13: A digital Trojan horse for the surveillance state
The Chronicle Herald: November 2013: Cybercrime bill raises worries
CTV News: November 2013: Ex-PMO counsel Benjamin Perrin may face B.C. Law Society investigation
iPolitics: November 2013: Walking a razor’s edge in the Senate scandal
Toronto Sun: November 2013: Peter MacKay lashes out over judges' rebellion to victim fines
Ottawa Citizen: November 2013: Ottawa judges thumbing noses at strict new victims’ surcharge rules
Global News: September 2013: Conservative Party lawyer directed robocall questions during investigation: documents
Postmedia: September 2013: Party lawyer’s presence in robocall witness interviews may pose problems, lawyers say
Ottawa Citizen: September 2013: SIU won’t investigate Ottawa police use-of-force incident
Ottawa Citizen: September 2013: Two charged after mêlée with police officers in Market
Metro News: September 2013: Accused criminals clog up Ottawa court system on bail bungling
Liberal Senate Forum: June 2013: Statement by Hon. Mobina S.B. Jaffer
Ottawa Citizen: June 2013: Ottawa jail guard fired after battering brain-damaged prisoner, ombudsman’s report reveals
Metro News: June 2013: Defence lawyers slam treatment of inmates following abuse report
Liberal Senate Forum: May 2013: Statement by Hon. Mobina S.B. Jaffer
Ottawa Citizen: April 2013: Jail suit exchange aims to keep defendants innocent of fashion crimes
Ottawa Sun: March 2013: Cellphone ruling hits all the right buttons
CBC: February 2013: Client Found Not guilty of Second Degree Murder
Metro News: November 2012: OPS use of force statistics fishy: defence lawyer
Ottawa Citizen: October 2012: What makes a “gang member” in the eyes of the law
CBC: August, 2012: Ottawa Police Take to Twitter
CBC: January 2012: Ottawa Lawyers back call for police cameras
Lawyers Weekly: December 2011: Feds ‘pandering, says CLA exec
CBC: Nov 2011: Opposition MPs try again to amend crime bill
Green Party: November 2011: Omnibus Crime Bill off Target
iPolitics: February 2011: Justice Committee asks to hear from more witnesses on Bill C-54
Ottawa Sun: February 2011: Accused sex shop robber acquitted
Ottawa Sun: February 2011: Response to Toronto Sun Article
Toronto Sun: February 2011: Lawyers group says bill aimed at perverts too tough
Liberal Senate Forum: June 2011: Statement by Hon. Art Eggleton
Liberal Senate Forum: June 2010: Statement by Hon. Lillian Eva Dyke
Law Times: December 2010: Ottawa Cops Under Fire
Ottawa Sun: December 2010: Break-in rap dismissed, judge cites ‘troubling’ police action
Capital News: April 2010: Same Offences, Different Consequences
Liberal Senate Forum: October 2009: Statement by Hon. Serge Joyal
Liberal Senate Forum: June 2009: Statement by Hon. Serge Joyal
Ottawa Citizen: November 2008: Acquittal in Ottawa Underpass Stabbing
CBC: November 2008: Ottawa man found not guilty in fatal Rideau underpass stabbing