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Puisne justices
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The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada. It was established by the Parliament of Canada through the Supreme and Exchequer Court Act of 1875.[1] Since 1949, the Court has been the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. Originally composed of six justices (the Chief Justice of Canada and five puisne justices), the Court was expanded to seven justices by the creation of an additional puisne justice position in 1927,[2] and then to nine justices by the creation of two more puisne justice positions in 1949.[3]

The justices are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. When a chief justice leaves office, the vacancy is traditionally filled by elevating an incumbent puisne justice to the position, which requires a separate appointment process. The first six justices of the Court were all appointed in 1875 by Governor General the Earl of Dufferin, on the advice of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie.

Of the nine justices, three positions are required by law to be held by judges who are either judges of the superior courts of Quebec, or members of the Bar of Quebec, at the time of their appointment.[4][5] Traditionally, three of the remaining judges are appointed from Ontario, two from the four western provinces, and one from the Atlantic provinces. The judges from these provinces, other than Quebec, must have been a judge of a superior court, or a member of the bar of one of those provinces for ten or more years prior to the appointment.[6]

Justices hold office until age 75, during good behaviour. They are removable by the Governor General on address of the Canadian Senate and House of Commons.[7] When the Court was created in 1875, the justices had life tenure, but in 1927 this was converted to mandatory retirement at age 75.[8] Because the legislation did not contain a grandfather clause it immediately applied to any judge who was already over age 75 at the time it came into force. As a result, Justice John Idington, aged 86, was forced to retire from the Court.

Since the Supreme Court was created in 1875, 90 persons have served on the Court. The length of overall service on the Court for the 81 non-incumbent justices ranges from Sir Lyman Duff's 37 years, 101 days, to the 232-day tenure of John Douglas Armour. The length of service for the 9 incumbent justices ranges from that of Andromache Karakatsanis, 12 years, 118 days to Mary Moreau's 102 days.

Justices

Richard Wagner, the current chief justice (since 2017)
Beverley McLachlin, the first woman to serve as chief justice (2000–2017)

In the table below, the index numbers in the far left column denote the order in which the justices were appointed as a Supreme Court puisne justice (or, as chief justice where the individual was appointed directly as chief justice). Also, a shaded row— —denotes a current justice. Additionally, while many of the justices' positions prior to appointment are simply listed as "lawyer", many had part-time positions, such as teaching, or acted as counsel to various levels of government. The justices of the Supreme Court are:

Justice Service dates[9][10] Service length Appointed on
advice of 		Legal education Prior position
No. Name
(lived) 		Province Overall tenure Chief justice tenure Overall tenure Chief justice tenure
1 Sir William Buell Richards
(1815–1889) 		Ontario September 30, 1875 –
January 10, 1879 		September 30, 1875 –
January 10, 1879 		3 years, 102 days 3 years, 102 days Mackenzie (directly as chief justice) Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1837) 		Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Canada West
2 William Johnstone Ritchie
(1813–1892) 		New Brunswick September 30, 1875 –
September 25, 1892 		January 11, 1879 –
September 25, 1892 		16 years, 361 days 13 years, 258 days Mackenzie (as puisne justice);
Macdonald (as chief justice) 		Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1837) 		Chief Justice of New Brunswick
3 Samuel Henry Strong
(1825–1909) 		Ontario September 30, 1875 –
November 17, 1902 		December 13, 1892 –
November 17, 1902 		27 years, 48 days 9 years, 339 days Mackenzie (as puisne justice);
Thompson (as chief justice) 		Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1849) 		Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
4 Jean-Thomas Taschereau
(1814–1893) 		Quebec September 30, 1875 –
October 6, 1878 		— 3 years, 6 days 0 days— Mackenzie Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer; École de droit de Paris
(1837) 		Court of Queen's Bench of Quebec
5 Télesphore Fournier
(1823–1896) 		Quebec September 30, 1875 –
September 11, 1895 		— 19 years, 346 days 0 days— Mackenzie Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1846) 		Postmaster General
6 William Alexander Henry
(1816–1888) 		Nova Scotia September 30, 1875 –
May 3, 1888 		— 12 years, 216 days 0 days— Mackenzie Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1841) 		Lawyer
7 Sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau
(1836–1911) 		Quebec October 7, 1878 –
May 1, 1906 		November 21, 1902 –
May 1, 1906 		27 years, 206 days 3 years, 161 days Mackenzie (as puisne justice);
Laurier (as chief justice) 		— Quebec Superior Court
8 John Wellington Gwynne
(1814–1902) 		Ontario January 14, 1879 –
January 7, 1902 		— 22 years, 358 days 0 days— Macdonald Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1837) 		Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
9 Christopher Salmon Patterson
(1823–1893) 		Ontario October 27, 1888 –
July 24, 1893 		— 4 years, 270 days 0 days— Macdonald — Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
10 Robert Sedgewick
(1848–1906) 		Nova Scotia February 18, 1893 –
August 4, 1906 		— 13 years, 167 days 0 days— Thompson Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1872) 		Deputy Minister of Justice (Federal)
11 George Edwin King
(1839–1901) 		New Brunswick September 21, 1893 –
May 8, 1901 		— 7 years, 229 days 0 days— Thompson Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1865) 		Supreme Court of New Brunswick
12 Désiré Girouard
(1836–1911) 		Quebec September 28, 1895 –
March 22, 1911 		— 15 years, 175 days 0 days— Bowell McGill Law School
(1860) 		Member of Parliament for Jacques Cartier
13 Sir Louis Henry Davies
(1845–1924) 		Prince Edward Island September 25, 1901 –
May 1, 1924 		October 23, 1918 –
May 1, 1924 		22 years, 219 days 5 years, 191 days Laurier (as puisne justice);
Borden (as chief justice) 		Inner Temple, London
(1866) 		Member of Parliament for West Queen's
14 David Mills
(1831–1903) 		Ontario February 8, 1902 –
May 8, 1903 		— 1 year, 89 days 0 days— Laurier University of Michigan
(1867) 		Minister of Justice (Canada)
and Leader of the Government in the Senate
15 John Douglas Armour
(1830–1903) 		Ontario November 21, 1902 –
July 11, 1903 		— 232 days 0 days— Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1853) 		Chief Justice of Ontario
16 Wallace Nesbitt
(1858–1930) 		Ontario May 16, 1903 –
October 3, 1905 		— 2 years, 140 days 0 days— Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1881) 		Lawyer
17 Albert Clements Killam
(1849–1908) 		Manitoba August 8, 1903 –
February 5, 1905 		— 1 year, 181 days 0 days— Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1877) 		Chief Justice of Manitoba
18 John Idington
(1840–1928) 		Ontario February 10, 1905 –
March 30, 1927 		— 22 years, 48 days 0 days— Laurier University of Toronto
(1864) 		High Court of Justice of Ontario
19 James Maclennan
(1833–1915) 		Ontario October 5, 1905 –
February 12, 1909 		— 3 years, 130 days 0 days— Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1857) 		Court of Appeal for Ontario
20 Sir Charles Fitzpatrick
(1853–1942) 		Quebec June 4, 1906 –
October 20, 1918 		June 4, 1906 –
October 20, 1918 		12 years, 139 days 12 years, 139 days Laurier (directly as chief justice) Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1876) 		Minister of Justice (Canada)
21 Sir Lyman Duff
(1865–1955) 		British Columbia September 27, 1906 –
January 6, 1944 		March 17, 1933 –
January 6, 1944 		37 years, 101 days 10 years, 295 days Laurier (as puisne justice);
Bennett (as chief justice) 		Osgoode Hall Law School
Supreme Court of British Columbia
22 Francis Alexander Anglin
(1865–1933) 		Ontario February 23, 1909 –
February 27, 1933 		September 16, 1924 –
February 27, 1933 		24 years, 4 days 8 years, 164 days Laurier (as puisne justice);
King (as chief justice) 		The Law Society of Upper Canada
(1888) 		High Court of Justice of Ontario (Exchequer Division)
23 Louis-Philippe Brodeur
(1862–1924) 		Quebec August 11, 1911 –
October 9, 1923 		— 12 years, 59 days 0 days— Laurier Université Laval à Montréal, Faculté de droit
(1884) 		Minister of the Naval Service
24 Pierre-Basile Mignault
(1854–1945) 		Quebec October 25, 1918 –
September 30, 1929 		— 10 years, 339 days −1 day— Borden McGill Law School
(1878) 		Member of the International Joint Commission
25 Arthur Cyrille Albert Malouin
(1857–1936) 		Quebec January 30, 1924 –
September 30, 1924 		— 244 days 0 days— King Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1882) 		Quebec Superior Court
26 Edmund Leslie Newcombe
(1859–1931) 		Nova Scotia September 16, 1924 –
December 9, 1931 		— 7 years, 84 days 0 days— King University of Halifax
(1881) 		Deputy Minister of Justice (federal)
27 Thibaudeau Rinfret
(1879–1962) 		Quebec October 1, 1924 –
June 21, 1954 		January 8, 1944 –
June 21, 1954 		29 years, 263 days 10 years, 164 days King (as puisne justice and later as chief justice) Université Laval à Montréal and McGill Law School
(1900) 		Quebec Superior Court
28 John Henderson Lamont
(1865–1936) 		Saskatchewan April 2, 1927 –
March 10, 1936 		— 8 years, 343 days 0 days— King University of Toronto Faculty of Law
(1893) 		Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan
29 Robert Smith
(1858–1942) 		Ontario May 18, 1927 –
December 6, 1933 		— 6 years, 202 days 0 days— King Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1885) 		Supreme Court of Ontario (Appellate Division)
30 Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon
(1877–1939) 		Quebec January 14, 1930 –
December 25, 1939 		— 9 years, 345 days 0 days— King Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1899) 		Court of King's Bench for Quebec
31 Oswald Smith Crocket
(1868–1945) 		New Brunswick September 21, 1932 –
April 12, 1943 		— 10 years, 203 days 0 days— Bennett Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1892) 		Supreme Court of New Brunswick
32 Frank Joseph Hughes
(1883–1967) 		Ontario March 17, 1933 –
February 12, 1935 		— 1 year, 332 days 0 days— Bennett Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1911) 		Lawyer
33 Henry Hague Davis
(1885–1944) 		Ontario January 31, 1935 –
June 30, 1944 		— 9 years, 151 days 0 days— Bennett University of Toronto Faculty of Law
(1911) 		Court of Appeal for Ontario
34 Patrick Kerwin
(1889–1963) 		Ontario July 20, 1935 –
February 2, 1963 		July 1, 1954 –
February 2, 1963 		27 years, 197 days 8 years, 216 days Bennett (as puisne justice);
St. Laurent (as chief justice) 		Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1911) 		High Court of Justice of Ontario
35 Albert Blellock Hudson
(1875–1947) 		Manitoba March 24, 1936 –
January 6, 1947 		— 10 years, 288 days 0 days— King University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law
(1898) 		Lawyer
36 Robert Taschereau
(1896–1970) 		Quebec February 9, 1940 –
August 31, 1967 		April 22, 1963 –
August 31, 1967 		27 years, 203 days 4 years, 131 days King (as puisne justice);
Diefenbaker (as chief justice) 		Université Laval, Faculté de droit)
(1920) 		Lawyer
37 Ivan Cleveland Rand
(1884–1969) 		New Brunswick April 22, 1943 –
April 26, 1959 		— 16 years, 4 days 0 days— King Harvard Law School
(1912) 		Lawyer
38 Roy Lindsay Kellock
(1893–1975) 		Ontario October 3, 1944 –
January 14, 1958 		— 13 years, 103 days 0 days— King — Court of Appeal for Ontario
39 James Wilfred Estey
(1889–1956) 		Saskatchewan October 6, 1944 –
January 22, 1956 		— 11 years, 108 days 0 days— King Harvard Law School
(1915) 		Attorney General of Saskatchewan
40 Charles Holland Locke
(1887–1980) 		British Columbia June 3, 1947 –
September 15, 1962 		— 15 years, 104 days 0 days— King Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1910) 		Lawyer
41 John Robert Cartwright
(1895–1979) 		Ontario December 22, 1949 –
March 22, 1970 		September 1, 1967 –
March 22, 1970 		20 years, 90 days 2 years, 202 days St. Laurent (as puisne justice);
Pearson (as chief justice) 		Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1920) 		Lawyer
42 Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux
(1900–1980) 		Quebec December 22, 1949 –
December 22, 1973 		March 23, 1970 –
December 22, 1973 		24 years, 0 days 3 years, 274 days St. Laurent (as puisne justice);
P. Trudeau (as chief justice) 		Université de Montréal Faculty of Law
(1925) 		Quebec Superior Court
43 Douglas Charles Abbott
(1899–1987) 		Quebec July 1, 1954 –
December 22, 1973 		— 19 years, 174 days 0 days— St. Laurent McGill Law School Minister of Finance (federal)
44 Henry Grattan Nolan
(1893–1957) 		Alberta March 1, 1956 –
July 8, 1957 		— 1 year, 129 days 0 days— St. Laurent Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(English and Alberta bars) 		Lawyer
45 Ronald Martland
(1909–1997) 		Alberta January 15, 1958 –
February 9, 1982 		— 24 years, 25 days 0 days— Diefenbaker University of Alberta, University of Oxford
(1928, 1931) 		Lawyer
46 Wilfred Judson
(1902–1980) 		Ontario February 5, 1958 –
July 19, 1977 		— 19 years, 164 days 0 days— Diefenbaker Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1932) 		High Court of Justice of Ontario
47 Roland Almon Ritchie
(1910–1988) 		Nova Scotia May 5, 1959 –
October 30, 1984 		— 25 years, 178 days 0 days— Diefenbaker University of Oxford
(1932) 		Lawyer
48 Emmett Matthew Hall
(1898–1995) 		Saskatchewan November 23, 1962 –
February 28, 1973 		— 10 years, 97 days 0 days— Diefenbaker University of Saskatchewan College of Law
(1919) 		Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan
49 Wishart Flett Spence
(1904–1998) 		Ontario May 30, 1963 –
December 28, 1978 		— 15 years, 212 days 0 days— Pearson Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1928) 		High Court of Justice of Ontario
50 Louis-Philippe Pigeon
(1905–1986) 		Quebec September 21, 1967 –
February 7, 1980 		— 12 years, 139 days 0 days— Pearson Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1928) 		Lawyer
51 Bora Laskin
(1912–1984) 		Ontario March 19, 1970 –
March 26, 1984 		December 27, 1973 –
March 26, 1984 		14 years, 7 days 10 years, 90 days P. Trudeau (as puisne justice and later as chief justice) University of Toronto
(1936)
Harvard Law School
(1937)
Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1937) 		Court of Appeal for Ontario
52 Robert George Brian Dickson
(1916–1998) 		Manitoba March 26, 1973 –
June 29, 1990 		April 18, 1984 –
June 29, 1990 		17 years, 95 days 6 years, 72 days P. Trudeau (as puisne justice and later as chief justice) University of Manitoba Faculty of Law
(1938) 		Manitoba Court of Appeal
53 Jean Beetz
(1927–1991) 		Quebec January 1, 1974 –
November 9, 1988 		— 14 years, 313 days 0 days— P. Trudeau Université de Montréal Faculty of Law
(1950)
Pembroke College, Oxford
(1953) 		Quebec Court of Appeal
54 Louis-Philippe de Grandpré
(1917–2008) 		Quebec January 1, 1974 –
September 30, 1977 		— 3 years, 272 days 0 days— P. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law President of the Canadian Bar Association
55 Willard Zebedee Estey
(1919–2002) 		Ontario September 29, 1977 –
April 21, 1988 		— 10 years, 205 days 0 days— P. Trudeau University of Saskatchewan College of Law Chief Justice of Ontario
56 Yves Pratte
(1925–1988) 		Quebec October 1, 1977 –
June 29, 1979 		— 1 year, 271 days 0 days— P. Trudeau Université Laval (Faculté de droit (Université Laval)) and University of Toronto Chairman of Air Canada
57 William Rogers McIntyre
(1918–2009) 		British Columbia January 1, 1979 –
February 14, 1989 		— 10 years, 44 days 0 days— P. Trudeau University of Saskatchewan British Columbia Court of Appeal
58 Julien Chouinard
(1929–1987) 		Quebec September 24, 1979 –
February 6, 1987 		— 7 years, 135 days 0 days— Clark Université Laval Quebec Court of Appeal
59 Antonio Lamer
(1933–2007) 		Quebec March 28, 1980 –
January 6, 2000 		July 1, 1990 –
January 6, 2000 		19 years, 284 days 9 years, 189 days P. Trudeau (as puisne justice);
Mulroney (as chief justice) 		Université de Montréal Quebec Court of Appeal
60 Bertha Wilson
(1923–2007) 		Ontario March 4, 1982 –
January 3, 1991 		— 8 years, 305 days 0 days— P. Trudeau Dalhousie Law School Court of Appeal for Ontario
61 Gerald Eric Le Dain
(1924–2007) 		Ontario May 29, 1984 –
November 29, 1988 		— 4 years, 184 days 0 days— P. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law Federal Court of Appeal
62 Gérard La Forest
(b. 1926) 		New Brunswick January 16, 1985 –
September 29, 1997 		— 12 years, 256 days 0 days— Mulroney University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law and Yale Law School New Brunswick Court of Appeal
63 Claire L'Heureux-Dubé
(b. 1927) 		Quebec April 15, 1987 –
June 30, 2002 		— 15 years, 76 days 0 days— Mulroney Université Laval (Faculté de droit (Université Laval)) Quebec Court of Appeal
64 John Sopinka
(1933–1997) 		Ontario May 24, 1988 –
November 24, 1997 		— 9 years, 184 days 0 days— Mulroney University of Toronto Lawyer
65 Charles Gonthier
(1928–2009) 		Quebec February 1, 1989 –
July 31, 2003 		— 14 years, 180 days 0 days— Mulroney McGill University Faculty of Law Quebec Court of Appeal
66 Peter Cory
(1925–2020) 		Ontario February 1, 1989 –
May 31, 1999 		— 10 years, 119 days 0 days— Mulroney Osgoode Hall Law School Court of Appeal for Ontario
67 Beverley McLachlin
(b. 1943) 		British Columbia March 30, 1989 –
December 14, 2017 		January 7, 2000 –
December 14, 2017 		28 years, 259 days 17 years, 341 days Mulroney (as puisne justice);
Chrétien (as chief justice) 		University of Alberta Faculty of Law Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
68 William Stevenson
(1934–2021) 		Alberta September 17, 1990 –
June 4, 1992 		— 1 year, 261 days 0 days— Mulroney University of Alberta Faculty of Law Court of Appeal of Alberta
Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories
69 Frank Iacobucci
(b. 1937) 		Ontario January 7, 1991 –
June 30, 2004 		— 13 years, 175 days 0 days— Mulroney University of British Columbia and Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada
70 John C. Major
(b. 1931) 		Alberta November 13, 1992 –
December 24, 2005 		— 13 years, 41 days 0 days— Mulroney University of Toronto Court of Appeal of Alberta
71 Michel Bastarache
(b. 1947) 		New Brunswick September 30, 1997 –
June 30, 2008 		— 10 years, 274 days 0 days— Chrétien University of Ottawa Faculty of Law New Brunswick Court of Appeal
72 William Ian Corneil Binnie
(b. 1939) 		Ontario January 8, 1998 –
October 20, 2011 		— 13 years, 285 days 0 days— Chrétien Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge University of Toronto Lawyer
73 Louise Arbour
(b. 1947) 		Ontario September 15, 1999 –
June 30, 2004 		— 4 years, 289 days 0 days— Chrétien Université de Montréal Faculty of Law
University of Ottawa Faculty of Law 		Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda
74 Louis LeBel
(1939–2023) 		Quebec January 7, 2000 –
November 29, 2014 		— 14 years, 326 days 0 days— Chrétien Université Laval
University of Toronto 		Quebec Court of Appeal
75 Marie Deschamps
(b. 1952) 		Quebec August 7, 2002 –
August 6, 2012 		— 9 years, 365 days 0 days— Chrétien Université de Montréal
McGill University Faculty of Law 		Quebec Court of Appeal
76 Morris J. Fish
(b. 1938) 		Quebec August 5, 2003 –
August 30, 2013 		— 10 years, 25 days 0 days— Chrétien McGill University Faculty of Law Quebec Court of Appeal
77 Rosalie Abella
(b. 1946) 		Ontario August 30, 2004 –
July 1, 2021 		— 16 years, 304 days 0 days— Martin University of Toronto Court of Appeal for Ontario
78 Louise Charron
(b. 1951) 		Ontario August 30, 2004 –
August 29, 2011 		— 6 years, 364 days 0 days — Martin University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Court of Appeal for Ontario
79 Marshall Rothstein
(b. 1940) 		Manitoba March 1, 2006 –
August 30, 2015 		— 9 years, 182 days 0 days— Harper University of Manitoba Federal Court of Appeal
80 Thomas Cromwell
(b. 1952) 		Nova Scotia December 22, 2008 –
August 31, 2016 		— 7 years, 253 days 0 days— Harper Queen's University Faculty of Law
University of Oxford 		Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
81 Michael J. Moldaver
(b. 1947) 		Ontario October 21, 2011 –
August 31, 2022 		— 10 years, 314 days 0 days— Harper University of Toronto Court of Appeal for Ontario
82 Andromache Karakatsanis
(b. 1955)[A] 		Ontario October 21, 2011 –
present 		— 12 years, 118 days 0 days— Harper Osgoode Hall Law School Court of Appeal for Ontario
83 Richard Wagner
(b. 1957)[B] 		Quebec October 5, 2012 –
present 		December 18, 2017 –
present 		11 years, 134 days 6 years, 60 days Harper (as puisne justice);
J. Trudeau (as chief justice) 		University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Quebec Court of Appeal
84 Clément Gascon
(b. 1960) 		Quebec Jun 9, 2014 –
Sept 15, 2019[11] 		— 5 years, 98 days 0 days— Harper McGill University Faculty of Law Quebec Court of Appeal
85 Suzanne Côté
(b. 1958)[C] 		Quebec December 1, 2014 –
present 		— 9 years, 77 days 0 days— Harper Laval University Lawyer
86 Russell Brown
(b. 1965) 		Alberta August 31, 2015 –
June 12, 2023[12] 		— 7 years, 285 days 0 days— Harper University of Victoria
University of Toronto 		Court of Appeal of Alberta
87 Malcolm Rowe
(b. 1953)[D] 		Newfoundland and Labrador October 28, 2016 –
present 		— 7 years, 111 days 0 days— J. Trudeau Osgoode Hall Law School Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Court of Appeal)
88 Sheilah Martin
(b. 1956)[E] 		Alberta December 18, 2017 –
present 		— 6 years, 60 days 0 days— J. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law
University of Alberta Faculty of Law 		Court of Appeal of Alberta
Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories
Court of Appeal of Nunavut
89 Nicholas Kasirer
(b. 1960)[F] 		Quebec September 16, 2019 –
present 		— 4 years, 153 days 0 days— J. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law
University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne 		Quebec Court of Appeal
90 Mahmud Jamal
(b. 1967)[G] 		Ontario July 1, 2021 –
present 		— 2 years, 230 days 0 days— J. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law
Yale Law School 		Ontario Court of Appeal
91 Michelle O'Bonsawin
(b. 1973 or 1974[13])[H] 		Ontario September 1, 2022 –
present[14] 		— 1 year, 168 days 0 days— J. Trudeau University of Ottawa (Faculty of Law) (LLB & PhD)[14][15]
York University (Osgoode Hall) (LLM)[14] 		Ontario Superior Court of Justice
92 Mary Moreau
(b. 1955 or 1956[16])[I] 		Alberta November 6, 2023 –
present[17] 		— 102 days 0 days— J. Trudeau University of Alberta (Faculty of Law) (LLB) Court of King's Bench of Alberta

Notes

  1. ^ Age 68, mandatory retirement date: October 3, 2030
  2. ^ Age 66, mandatory retirement date: April 2, 2032
  3. ^ Age 65, mandatory retirement date: September 21, 2033
  4. ^ Age 64 or 65, mandatory retirement date: during 2028
  5. ^ Age 67, mandatory retirement date: May 31, 2031
  6. ^ Age 63, mandatory retirement date: February 20, 2035
  7. ^ Age 54; mandatory retirement 2042
  8. ^ Age 49–50;[13] mandatory retirement 2048/2049
  9. ^ Age 67–68;[16] mandatory retirement 2030/2031

Timeline of justices

This graphical timeline depicts the progression of the justices on the Supreme Court. Information regarding each justice's predecessors, successors and fellow justices, as well as their tenure on the court can be gleaned (and comparisons between justices drawn) from it. There are no formal names or numbers for the individual seats of the puisne justices.

Mary MoreauMichelle O'BonsawinMahmud JamalNicholas KasirerSheilah MartinMalcolm RoweRussell Brown (judge)Suzanne CôtéClément GasconRichard Wagner (judge)Andromache KarakatsanisMichael MoldaverThomas Cromwell (jurist)Marshall RothsteinLouise CharronRosalie AbellaMorris J. FishMarie DeschampsLouis LeBelLouise ArbourIan BinnieMichel BastaracheJohn C. MajorFrank IacobucciWilliam Stevenson (judge)Beverley McLachlinPeter CoryCharles GonthierJohn SopinkaClaire L'Heureux-DubéGérard La ForestGerald Le DainBertha WilsonAntonio LamerJulien ChouinardWilliam McIntyre (judge)Yves PratteWillard EsteyLouis-Philippe de GrandpréJean BeetzBrian DicksonBora LaskinLouis-Philippe PigeonWishart SpenceEmmett Matthew HallRoland RitchieWilfred JudsonRonald MartlandHenry Grattan NolanDouglas AbbottGérald FauteuxJohn Robert CartwrightCharles Holland LockeJames Wilfred EsteyRoy KellockIvan RandRobert TaschereauAlbert HudsonPatrick KerwinHenry Hague DavisFrank Joseph HughesOswald Smith CrocketLawrence Arthur Dumoulin CannonRobert Smith (Canadian judge)John Henderson LamontThibaudeau RinfretEdmund Leslie NewcombeArthur Cyrille Albert MalouinPierre-Basile MignaultLouis-Philippe BrodeurFrancis Alexander AnglinLyman DuffCharles FitzpatrickJames MaclennanJohn IdingtonAlbert Clements KillamWallace NesbittJohn Douglas ArmourDavid Mills (Canadian politician)Louis Henry DaviesDésiré GirouardGeorge Edwin KingRobert Sedgewick (judge)Christopher Salmon PattersonJohn Wellington GwynneHenri Elzéar TaschereauWilliam Alexander HenryTélesphore FournierJean-Thomas Taschereau (judge)Samuel Henry StrongWilliam Johnstone RitchieWilliam Buell Richards
Colour key:
  Chief justice

Justices' birthplaces

Place No. Justices
Canada (81):[a]
Alberta[b]
4
 McLachlin; Moreau; Nolan; Stevenson
British Columbia
2
 Brown; Iacobucci
Manitoba
2
 Locke; Rothstein
New Brunswick
6
 Anglin; Crocket; J. W. Estey; King; La Forest; Rand
Newfoundland and Labrador
1
 Rowe
Nova Scotia
5
 Henry; Killam; Newcombe; R. A. Richie; W. J. Ritchie
Ontario[c]
24
 Armour; Cartwright; Charron; Cory; Cromwell; Davis; Duff; Hudson; Hughes; Idington; Karakatsanis; Kellock; Kerwin; Lamont; Laskin; Maclennan; Major; Mills; Moldaver; Nesbitt; O'Bonsawin; Richards; Smith; Spence
Prince Edward Island
1
 Davies
Quebec[d]
34
 Abbott; Arbour; Bastarache; Beetz; Binnie; Brodeur; Cannon; Chouinard; Côté; de Grandpré; Deschamps; Fauteux; Fish; Fitzpatrick; Fournier; Gascon; Girouard; Gonthier; Hall; Kasirer; Lamer; Le Dain; LeBel; L'Heureux-Dubé; Malouin; Martin; McIntyre; Pigeon; Pratte; Rinfret; H.-E. Taschereau; J.-T. Taschereau; R. Taschereau; Wagner
Saskatchewan
3
 Dickson; W. Z. Estey; Sopinka
United Kingdom (7):
England
4
 Judson; Martland; Patterson; Strong
Scotland
2
 Sedgewick; Wilson
Ireland[e]
1
 Gwynne
United States (1):
Massachusetts
1
 Mignault
Germany (1):
Baden-Württemberg
1
 Abella
Kenya (1):
Nairobi
1
 Jamal
Total: 91

Notes

  1. ^ At least one Supreme Court justice has been born in each of Canada's current 10 provinces; none however, have been born in its current territories (the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon).
  2. ^ Includes territory previously in the Northwest Territories prior to 1905
  3. ^ Includes the former colony of Upper Canada, and Canada West in the former Province of Canada
  4. ^ Includes the former colony of Lower Canada, and Canada East in the former Province of Canada
  5. ^ Includes all of Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, prior to 1922

Justices' legal backgrounds

Of the 91 justices who have served on the court, just over half, 49, had previously served on provincial appellate courts, although not all of these were serving in that capacity immediately prior to their appointment (e.g. Beverley McLachlin had served on the British Columbia Court of Appeal before being named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia; Louise Arbour had served on the Court of Appeal for Ontario before being named Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia). Three served on the appellate division of the Federal Court of Canada: Frank Iacobucci as Chief Justice of the Court, and Gerald Le Dain and Marshall Rothstein as appellate justices.

Twenty-eight justices were named to the Supreme Court directly from the bar without having previously served as judges, including one Chief Justice (Charles Fitzpatrick). Of those, eleven had served or were serving in various federal government capacities, including member of Parliament, cabinet minister, or deputy minister, prior to their appointment. A further 12 served on provincial superior trial courts.

Of the 31 justices appointed since 1980, only three had no prior judicial experience: John Sopinka, Ian Binnie and Suzanne Côté.

References

  1. ^ Supreme and Exchequer Court Act, S.C. 1875, c. 11.
  2. ^ An Act to amend the Supreme Court Act, S.C. 1927, c. 38, s. 1
  3. ^ An Act to amend the Supreme Court Act, S.C. 1949, c. 37, s.1
  4. ^ Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S‑26, s. 6.
  5. ^ Reference re Supreme Court Act, ss. 5 and 6, 2014 SCC 21.
  6. ^ Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S-26, s. 5.
  7. ^ Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S-26, s. 9.
  8. ^ An Act to amend the Supreme Court Act, S.C. 1927, c. 38, s. 2.
  9. ^ "Current and Former Chief Justices". Ottawa, Ontario: Supreme Court of Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "Current and Former Judges". Ottawa, Ontario: Supreme Court of Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. ^ Zimonjic, Peter (April 15, 2019). "Supreme Court Justice Clement Gascon announces retirement". CBC News. Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Tasker, John paul (June 12, 2023). "Russell Brown steps down from Supreme Court after probe launched into misconduct claim". CBC News. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  13. ^ a b McLeod, Marsha (August 25, 2022) [first published 2022-08-24], "Michelle O'Bonsawin on making history as first Indigenous Supreme Court nominee", The Globe and Mail website, archived from the original on August 28, 2022, retrieved August 28, 2022, That means Ms. O'Bonsawin, who is 48, could sit on the court for nearly three decades.
  14. ^ a b c "The Honourable Michelle O'Bonsawin", Supreme Court of Canada website, September 1, 2022, archived from the original on September 2, 2022, retrieved September 1, 2022, Justice O'Bonsawin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Laurentian University, a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Ottawa.
  15. ^ "Nomination of the Honourable Michelle O'Bonsawin, alumna, to the Supreme Court of Canada", University of Ottawa Gazette, August 23, 2022, archived from the original on September 2, 2022, retrieved September 1, 2022, Justice O'Bonsawin also has strong ties to the University of Ottawa, having earned an LL.B. in Common Law in 1998 from the University and a PhD in 2022.
  16. ^ a b Fine, Sean (November 1, 2023) [first published 2023-11-01], "'I consider her a fighter': Supreme Court pick Mary Moreau hailed as a voice for minority rights", The Globe and Mail website, retrieved November 11, 2023, On Thursday, the 67-year-old is to answer questions from a Parliamentary committee.
  17. ^ "Chief Justice Wagner Welcomes the Appointment of the Honourable Mary T. Moreau", Supreme Court of Canada website, November 6, 2023, retrieved November 6, 2023

Bibliography

External links

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