Fulbright scholar headed to Columbia U

Fulbright scholar Jon Penney.

Dalhousie law grad Jon Penney has been awarded a prestigious Canada-U.S. Fulbright Scholarship.

A practicing lawyer now working with the Department of Justice in Toronto, Mr. Penney will return to school to pursue a master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. The Halifax native got his first degree, a BA majoring in philosophy at Dalhousie in 2000, followed by his law degree in 2003.  He also spent a year studying law at Oxford University in 2006.

The Foundation for Educational Change, the body which administers Fulbright scholarships, is a bi-national, treaty-based organized which exists to enhance mutual understanding between Canada and the United States. Only about 20 Fulbright scholarships are awarded to Canadian students each year.

“There’s a really rich body of interesting scholarship that I’m raring to dig into,” explains Mr. Penney, 30.

As part of his studies, Mr. Penney will look at the constitutional history of both countries and the factors that influence changes in the law.

“In Canada, a lot of the focus of constitutional theory is on the Supreme Court itself, on the way the court interprets the Constitution. And there’s always debate about the legitimacy of the court in striking down laws; in Canada, a lot of people believe that’s the job of politicians …

“Though those debates also exist in the U.S., there’s also a growing body of scholarship that takes a step back and looks at those external factors that affect the way the courts interpret the law, things like social movements, public opinion, and the roles that political actors, such as presidents and members of Congress, play.”