The course of the case

Persistence pays off.

After being jailed and branded a threat in 2003, Adil Charkaoui persistently won back his liberties as Canada's spies bemoaned they were falling victim to a "judicial jihad" on their sources and methods.

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Here's how the case progressed, with links to dozens of decisions judges were seized with along the way.

July 15, 2003: Charkaoui loses bid for bail

April 28, 2004: Charkaoui loses bid to remove a judge as biased.

Jan. 23, 2004: Charkaoui's loses another bid for bail.

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June 23, 2004: Charkaoui loses a bid to recover $20,000 in legal costs .

July 24, 2004: Charkaoui loses another bid for bail.

Dec. 5, 2003: Charkaoui loses a bid to quash the case on constitutional grounds and to see secret spy service evidence .

Oct. 6, 2004: Charkaoui wins a deferral of a removal hearing as he raises constitutional questions.

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Sept. 21, 2004: Charkaoui wins the right to amend a judge's motion concerning the potential cross-examination of Ahmed "Millennium Bomber" Ressam and Guantanamo Bay detainee Abu Zubaydah.

Sept. 24, 2004: Charkaoui loses at the Federal Court of Appeal .

Nov. 9, 2004: Charkaoui wins another stay of proceedings amid constitutional questions.

Dec., 10, 2004: Charkaoui loses an appellate bid to have the security-certificate law declared unconstitutional.

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Feb 1, 2005: Charkaoui loses a bid to throw out the CSIS intelligence "summaries" used against him.

Feb 17, 2005: Charkaoui wins release from jail on strict surveillance conditions .

Dec. 9, 2005: Charkaoui loses another constitutional challenge against security-certificate laws.

March, 30, 2006: Charkaoui loses a bid to stop secret hearings in his case.

May 4, 2006: Charkaoui loses a bid to scale down his bail conditions.

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June 6, 2006: Charkaoui loses an appeal bid to get a judge to censure CSIS's destruction of its notes and tapes.

July 17, 2006: Charkaoui wins the right to visit a zoo outside Montreal's city limits.

Feb. 2, 2007: Charkaoui loses another bid to quash the certificate .

Feb 23, 2007: Charkaoui partly wins at the Supreme Court of Canada, as judges find parts of the security-certificate law unfair and order Parliament to redraft them.

Oct. 10 2007: Charkaoui loses a bid to lessen his surveillance regime.

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Nov. 9, 2007: Charkaoui loses a bid to leave Montreal to speak to an Amnesty International Youth conference .

Feb 23, 2008: Parliament creates a "special advocate" class of lawyers for secret hearings, to comply with the Charkaoui Supreme Court ruling.

May 26, 2008: Charkaoui wins another landmark Supreme Court ruling , forcing CSIS agents to retain their notes and recordings for use in court.

Feb. 20, 2009: Charkaoui wins a bid to lessen his surveillance regime given a judge finds the threat "neutralized, in large part as a result of the passage of time."