Good News!

[Trigger warning for rape, rape apologia, and victim blaming]

Last week, I [TW] wrote about Manitoba Justice Robert Dewar, who has an obvious problem with victim blaming.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports:

[Following the Free Press' previous coverage of the case,] politicians of all stripes joined student and feminist groups and those who work with sexual assault victims in decrying the comments. Many said they feared Dewar’s remarks - which included "sex was in the air" the night the woman was raped - would deter other victims from coming forward in the future.

By Friday afternoon, the judicial council, which has authority over more than 1,100 federally appointed judges, had already received "several" complaints about Dewar’s handling of the case, according to a spokeswoman. She said it is the council's policy not to disclose the names of complainants.

Earlier in the day, more than 100 women and men held a noisy protest outside the downtown Law Courts building. They chanted "yes means yes and no means no," and waved signs sporting an array of messages including, 'Clumsy, ignorant judge,' and 'FYI, Dewar, this is the 21st century.'

Many who attended the demonstration called on the judge to apologize for his remarks and to resign.

And now for the really good part:

Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal issued a written statement Tuesday afternoon saying Justice Robert Dewar will continue sitting on the bench but with a limited caseload.

[Judge Dewar] will stop handling criminal cases "of a sexual nature" pending an ongoing federal review.

[H/t to @DoubleEmMartin]