John Borrows awarded Ontario’s Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing

John Borrows, professor and Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the Faculty of Law, has been awarded the 2024 David Walter Mundell Medal by the Government of Ontario.

Established in 1986 by former Ontario Attorney General Ian Scott, the Mundell Medal honours Ontario authors for excellence in legal writing. The medal is named after David Walter Mundell, the first director of the ministry’s Constitutional Law Branch.

Borrows is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. A leading scholar of Indigenous law, his research focuses on the revitalization of Indigenous Peoples’ laws and their relationship to Canadian constitutional law, Canadian Aboriginal rights law and environmental law.

“Professor Borrows’ unique writing style draws upon Indigenous storytelling and oral tradition and is a powerful example of how the written word can enrich our understanding of the law," said Justice Sarah Pepall, chair of the selection committee.

He has edited and authored several award-winning books, all with University of Toronto Press, including Canada’s Indigenous Constitution, Law’s Indigenous Ethics, and Recovering Canada: The Resurgence of Indigenous Law. He is co-editor of the forthcoming anthology, The RAVEN Essays; Indigenous Environmental Justice, Education and Self-Determination, celebrating a decade of prize-winning student essays.

Borrows, who holds six honorary degrees. received the Law Foundation of Ontario's 2025 Guthrie Award and was most recently named a recipient of U of T's Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize (Influential Leader).