Evan Fox-Decent

Evan Fox-Decent teaches and publishes in legal theory, administrative law, First Nations and the law, immigration law, the law of fiduciaries, and human rights.

He has worked on human rights and democratic governance reform in Latin America since 1987, beginning with advocacy and relief work in El Salvador under the auspices of Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Medardo Gómez.

He has since served with the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (1996-99), and has consulted on behalf of numerous development and research agencies, as well as on behalf of legal institutions in Latin America, including the Supreme Court of Venezuela, the European Union, the World Bank, the International Development Bank, USAID, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre.

2004 Ph.D. in Philosophy (University of Toronto)
1993 M.A. in Philosophy (University of Manitoba)
1990 B.A. in Philosophy (University of Manitoba)

INTÉRÊTS DE RECHERCHE / RESEARCH INTERESTS
 Théorie légale et politique / Legal and political theory
 L’État de droit / The rule of law
 Le droit administratif / Administrative law
 Le droit des héritiers fiduciaires / The law of fiduciaries
 Les Premières Nations / First Nations and the law
 Les droits humains / Human rights

PUBLICATIONS

Peer reviewed journal articles

“Rethinking the Relationship between International and Domestic Law” (with Armand de Mestral) (2009) 53(4) McGill Law Journal (forthcoming).

“Is the Rule of Law Really Indifferent to Human Rights ?” (2008) 27(6) Law and Philosophy : 533 – 581. (Ashgate Publishing has asked that the article be developed into a book ; on four “Top Ten” ejournal lists on SSRN.)

“Parliamentary Privilege and the Rule of Law” (2007) 20(2) Canadian Journal of Administrative Law and Practice 117-140. (On one “Top Ten” ejournal list on SSRN.)

“Fashioning Legal Authority from Power : The Crown-Native Fiduciary Relationship,” (2006) 4 New Zealand Journal of Public and International Law : 91–116.

“The Fiduciary Nature of State Legal Authority” (2005) 31 Queen’s Law Journal : 259 – 310.

“Suresh and Canada’s Legal Obligations regarding Torture,” (2001) 12 National Journal of Constitutional Law : 425-447.

“Rethinking the Process/Substance Distinction : Baker v. Canada,” (with David Dyzenhaus) (2001) 51 University of Toronto Law Journal : 193-242. (Cited by the Ontario Court of Appeal in the minority rights case Lalonde v. Ontario (Commission de restructuration des services de santé), (2001), 56 O.R. (3d) 505 (O.C.A.) at para. 177.)

“Why self-ownership is prescriptively impotent,” (1998) 32 Journal of Value Inquiry : 489-506.

Books, book chapters, non-refereed articles

“A Fiduciary Theory of Jus Cogens” (with Evan J. Criddle) (2009) 34 Yale Journal of International Law (forthcoming).

“The Charter and Administrative Law : Cross-Fertilisation in Public Law” in Administrative Law in Context, L. Sossin & C. Flood eds. (Toronto : Emond Montgomery, 2008) : 169 – 195.

“Parliamentary Privilege, the Charter and the Rule of Law after the Vaid Case” (2007) 20(3) Canadian Parliamentary Review : 27-35.

“Implementation and Reception : The Congeniality of Canada’s Legal Order to International Law” (with Armand de Mestral) in The Globalized Rule of Law : Relationships between International and Domestic Law, Oonagh Fitzgerald, et. al. eds. (Toronto : Irwin Law, 2006) : 31 - 83.

“The Internal Morality of Administration : The Form and Structure of Reasonableness,” in The Unity of Public Law, David Dyzenhaus ed., (Oxford : Hart Publishing, 2004) : 143-171.

“Constitutional Protection of Indigenous Rights in Canada : Reconciling State Sovereignty with the Pre-existence of Distinctive Aboriginal Societies,” in Administración de Justicia y Pueblos Indígenas en la Perspectiva del Derecho Intercultural, Adriana Lander Osío ed., (Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela Press, 2003) : 73-103.

Book reviews

Marc Ribeiro, Limiting Arbitrary Power : The Vagueness Doctrine in Canadian Constitutional Law, Queen’s Law Journal (2005) 30 Queen’s Law Journal : 923 – 37.

Monographs, technical reports and white papers

Programa Andino de Derechos Humanos y Democracia : Final Evaluation Report (with Christiane Tuijtelaars and Hilde Hey) (Utrecht, the Netherlands : Human European Consultancy, 2006), pp. 176.

Final Editor : “Raquel Yrigoyen Fajardo, Kong Rady, Phan Sin. Pathways to Justice : Access to Justice with a focus on the Poor, Women and Indigenous Peoples (Phnom Phen, Cambodia : UNDP, 2005),” pp. 226.

“Thematic Impact Assessment of the USAID/Guatemala Peace Program” (with Michael Brown, John Tyynela, and Roderick Brett). Burlington, Vermont : Associates in Rural Development, 2004 (104 pp.).

“Peacebuilding and Reconstruction Program Initiative : External Evaluation Report” (with Rex Brynen, Stephen Browne). Ottawa : International Development Research Centre, 2003 (74 pp.).

“Proyecto Justicia y Multiculturalidad : Informe del Componente Nacional” (with Myra Muralles). Guatemala City, Guatemala : UN Mission for the Verification of Human Rights in Guatemala, 1999.

“Proyecto Administración de Justicia y Pluralismo Lingüistico : Informe de la Base de Datos sobre Multilingüismo.” Quetzaltenango, Guatemala : UN Mission for the Verification of Human Rights in Guatemala, 1997.