Close X
Friday, January 10, 2025
ADVT 
National

Alberta Appeal Court Judge Russell Brown Named To Supreme Court Of Canada

The Canadian Press, 28 Jul, 2015 11:46 AM
    OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Russell Brown as his latest appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada.
     
    Brown, a former barrister and law professor, is taking over for the retiring Justice Marshall Rothstein, whose departure takes effect as of Aug. 31, Harper said Monday in a statement.
     
    "Mr. Justice Brown brings to the court wide experience as a law professor and legal scholar, a barrister, and a judge at both the trial court and appellate levels," Harper said. 
     
    "His appointment is the result of broad consultations with prominent members of the legal community and we are confident he will be a strong addition to Canada's highest court."
     
    A member of the bars of both British Columbia and Alberta, Brown currently sits in Edmonton, where he also serves as an appeal judge for both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
     
    He has also served as a member of the Court of Queen's Bench.
     
    Brown will be the second member of the high court from western Canada, the other being Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
     
    Brown holds a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia and law degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto. He also served as an associate professor and associate dean of the University of Alberta's faculty of law.
     
    He has also practised law in Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver.
     
    Brown's predecessor, who was appointed by Harper in March 2006, announced his retirement in April. The Judges Act provides that for six months after retirement, he can continue to participate in judgments of cases heard before his departure.
     
    Rothstein was Harper's first appointment to the highest court, shortly after the Conservative government took office.
     
    Harper has appointed all but two of the nine judges on the court.
     
    His last appointment, high-profile commercial trial lawyer Suzanne Cote, came last November and ended more than a year of unprecedented, roiling controversy over the composition of the high court.
     
    It was triggered earlier in the year when Harper's proposed choice of Justice Marc Nadon for a vacant Quebec seat was challenged and ultimately rejected on constitutional grounds by the Supreme Court itself.
     
    Cote replaced Justice Louis LeBel as the third of three mandatory Quebec justices on the bench.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    How Beatles, Ravi Shankar Turned Brazilian Into Sitarist

    How Beatles, Ravi Shankar Turned Brazilian Into Sitarist
    It was her parents' love for sitar exponent Pandit Ravi Shankar that introduced Paola Carraro to Indian art and music far away in Brazil.

    How Beatles, Ravi Shankar Turned Brazilian Into Sitarist

    Bank Of Canada Survey Points To Regional Divide In Confidence Amid Low Oil

    Bank Of Canada Survey Points To Regional Divide In Confidence Amid Low Oil
    OTTAWA — There is a divide in business confidence across the country as low oil prices weigh on the outlook for some regions more than others, according to the latest reading from the Bank of Canada.

    Bank Of Canada Survey Points To Regional Divide In Confidence Amid Low Oil

    Nelson Hart Sentenced To House Arrest For Threatening Jail Guard In Prison

    Nelson Hart will serve 30 days of house arrest and one year of probation for an incident at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's on Jan. 30, 2013.

    Nelson Hart Sentenced To House Arrest For Threatening Jail Guard In Prison

    U.S. Vice-president Joe Biden Meets With Pm Stephen Harper Before FIFA Final

    U.S. Vice-president Joe Biden Meets With Pm Stephen Harper Before FIFA Final
    VANCOUVER — American Vice-President Joe Biden paid homage to the close ties between the United States and Canada during a trip north of the border to take in the FIFA Women's World Cup final in Vancouver.

    U.S. Vice-president Joe Biden Meets With Pm Stephen Harper Before FIFA Final

    Weekend Shooting In Surrey That Injured One Likely Targeted: RCMP

    Weekend Shooting In Surrey That Injured One Likely Targeted: RCMP
    RCMP say officers responded to reports of gunfire (in the 12300 block of 71 A Avenue) shortly before 2 p.m. on Sunday.

    Weekend Shooting In Surrey That Injured One Likely Targeted: RCMP

    Surrey Woman, 34, In Stable Condition After Being Stabbed

    Surrey Woman, 34, In Stable Condition After Being Stabbed
    RCMP say they responded to a report of a stabbing (in the 8100-block of King George Boulevard) just before 6 a.m.

    Surrey Woman, 34, In Stable Condition After Being Stabbed