Complex sentence: At the time it was highly unusual for a Supreme Court of Canada appointee to have had no prior judicial experience, but following Sopinka's death the next appointee, Ian Binnie, also came directly from private practice.
Split into simpler sentences: At the time it was highly unusual for a Supreme Court of Canada appointee to have had no prior judicial experience. Following Sopinka's death, the court's next appointee, Ian Binnie, also came directly from private practice.