Longstanding public support for the Supreme Court of Canada is well-documented and contributes to its public legitimacy. However, the sources of this support and how vulnerable it may be to political factors or negative coverage of events are not well understood. In February of 2023, Justice Russell Brown took a leave of absence from the Supreme Court following a conduct complaint under review by the Canadian Judicial Council. Justice Brown retired from the bench in June of that year, before the CJC concluded its investigation. In the intervening period, media coverage of the events that prompted the attention from the CJC thrust the Court into the spotlight. Using data from an original two-wave survey experiment (n = 1,222) from May and November of 2023, we investigate whether perspectives toward the circumstances surrounding Brown’s retirement hurt perceptions of the Court’s legitimacy. We find that the event did not disrupt support for the Court over time but also point to the ways in which opinion toward the Court changed pre- and post-resignation. These findings suggest that support toward Canada’s high court is at present largely stable even in the case of negative coverage of a high-profile event. However, we also acknowledge the potential vulnerabilities that negative coverage of the Court may present.

The quality of judicial support and respect for the principle of minimum intervention are crucial factors in assessing whether a jurisdiction is attractive for arbitration. While there have been efforts to present Nigeria as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction and an attractive arbitration venue, questions remain about the adequacy, effectiveness and certainty of legal rules concerning arbitration in Nigeria. There are also questions about the quality and efficiency of judicial support for arbitration in light of some judicial decisions affecting arbitration that have generated controversy. Through a careful analysis of key statutory provisions and judicial decisions, this article analyses support for arbitration in Nigeria in respect of selected topics, including party autonomy, upholding arbitration agreements (especially concerning the stay of judicial proceedings), the stay of arbitration proceedings and third party intervention. The article identifies scope for improvement in statutory and judicial approaches. It makes suggestions concerning both judicial approaches and reform of the statutory regimes.