Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella

“I am proud to count Rosalie Abella among my dearest sisters-in-law.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Equal Rights Champion. Supreme Court Justice. Icon.

Rosalie Silberman Abella — “Rosie” to almost everyone who knows her — has built a breathtaking and pathbreaking legal legacy while becoming a human rights hero and icon. This is the story of an exceptional person who spent her entire life reminding us that we must never forget how the world looks to those who are vulnerable.

Considered by many to be the “Canadian RBG,” she was at the forefront of major decisions on employment equity, gay marriage, constitutional law, and many more landmark cases.
In addition, Justice Abella — born in a displaced persons’ camp following the Holocaust and an immigrant to Canada at the age of 4 — stood for many marginalized communities during her years on the bench.

As a passionate and provocative Supreme Court Justice, Rosie Abella is the sixth woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada since 1875, the first Jewish woman and the
first refugee to sit on the bench — but she’s probably the first Canadian justice that became a human rights phenomenon.

The film is a loving and informative documentary portrait of Justice Abella in the final days before leaving the bench, with full evidence of what inspired her and what continues to drive her resolute commitment to make a difference, as well as a chronicle of her family beginnings, her meteoric career, and her enduring marriage to Irving Abella.

Meet a fireball of a person who is curious, accessible and still ambitious at the age of 75 as she begins the next act of her life, a life that is underscored with pain, triumph, 38 honorary degrees, and the music of Gershwin.