Requiring lawyers to swear oath to King is unconstitutional, Alberta’s top court rules

Alberta’s top court has ruled that the province’s requirement for prospective lawyers to swear an oath to the King in order to practise law is unconstitutional and should be either removed or amended.

The Alberta Court of Appeal decision, released Tuesday, follows a years-long legal battle waged by Prabjot Singh Wirring. Mr. Wirring sued the Alberta government in June, 2022, over the requirement, which he said violated his religious freedoms as a Sikh.