Nova Scotia Supreme Court (Historical)

From Criminal Law Notebook

Past Justices (1993 to present)

See also: Nova Scotia Supreme Court
Name Location Duration Appointed by Prior Position(s) Other Details
Gregory M. Warner [1] Kentville November 6, 2003 (Judge)
1 January 2019 (Sup.)
Chrétien / Cauchon (Lib) Warner, Jacquard
Pink Macdonald Harding
Town of Yarmouth
Called to bar (1972)
Published criminal decisions (~32)
Kevin Coady [2] Halifax November 6, 2003 (Judge)
November 5, 2018 (Sup)
July 2024 (ret)
Chrétien / Cauchon (Lib) Coady Filiter
Called to bar (1981)
Published criminal decisions (~42)
Robin C. M. Gogan [3] [4] Sydney October 2, 2013 Harper / MacKay (CPC) Breton Law Group (2011 to 2013)

Sampson McDougall (2002 to 2011)
Called to bar (1988)

Published criminal decisions (~30)
(as of the end of December 2023)
N.M. (Nick) Scaravelli [5] Pictou/Antigonish December 15, 2006 (Judge)
December 16, 2016 (Sup)
Harper Macintosh MacDonnell & MacDonald (1977 to 2006)

Fitzgerald and Assoc. (1974 to 1977)
Called to bar (1974)

Published criminal decisions (~50)
Robert William Wright [6] [7] Halifax June 30, 1998
2013 (sup)
August 2021 (ret)
Chrétien / McLellan (Lib) Daley, Black & Moreira
Called to bar (1971)
Dal grad (1971)
Published criminal decisions (~60)
Gerald R.P. Moir [8] [9] Halifax March 19, 1997
2017 (sup)
June 29, 2021 (ret)
Chrétien / Rock (Lib) Burchell, MacDougall (1984 to 1997)
Federal Business Development Bank (1980 to 1984)
Weldo, Misener & Covert (1977 to 1980)
Called to bar (1977)
Dal grad
Published criminal decisions (~29)
Justice Frank Campbell Edwards Sydney 1993 Chretien County Court (1993)
Crown attorney (? to 1993)
Published criminal decisions (~50)
M. Heather Robertson [10] Halifax June 30, 1998 Chretien Chief of Staff to the Premier of Nova Scotia (1995)
Burchell, MacDougall (1986 to 1998)
Walker, Dunlop (1985 to 1986)
Called to bar (1975)
Published criminal decisions (~70)
Justice Beryl A. MacDonald [11] Halifax March 24, 2005 Martin Hicks, LeMoine
John David Murphy [12] [13] Halifax March 2, 2001 Chretien Stewart McKelvey
Called to bar (1974)
Published criminal decisions (~30)
Chief Justice Joseph Phillip Kennedy [14] Halifax April 16, 1997 (Judge)
1998 (CJ)
May 1, 2019 (ret)
(22 years)
Chretien (Judge)
Chretien (CJ)
Supreme Court Justice (1997)
Chief Judge of Provincial Court (1993 to 1997)
Provincial Court Judge (1978 to 1993)
Kenney, Theakson, Kennedy & Allen (1969 to 1978)
Called to bar (1969)
Published criminal decisions (~45)
Michael J. Wood [15] [16] Halifax October 3, 2011 - April 17, 2019
(7.5 years)
Harper Burchells LLP (1982 to 2011)
Called to bar (1982)
Published criminal decisions (~48)
Appointed to NSCA
Suzanne M. Hood [17] [18] [19] Halifax December 20, 1995 (Judge)
December 18, 2013 (Sup.)
October 31, 2018 (ret.)
(24 years)
Chretien City of Dartmouth (1993 to 1995)
Huestis, Holm (1977 to 1993)
Called to bar (1977)
Published criminal decisions (~27)
Justice Elizabeth Van den Eynden [20][21] Oct 2, 2013 to February, 2015
(3 years)
Harper appointed to NSCA (2015)
Published criminal decisions (~1)
Justice Arthur W D Pickup [22] [23] Halifax December 11, 2002 to September 30, 2016
(15 years)
Chrétien LeBlanc, MacDonald & Pickup (1975 to 2002)
Called to bar (1968)
Published criminal decisions (~15)
Justice Linda Lee Oland [24] 1998 - 2000
(3 years)
Chrétien McInnes, Cooper (1977 to 1998)
Called to bar (1977)
appointed to NSCA (1998)
Published criminal decisions (~0)
Justice Joseph Michael MacDonald 1995 - 2004
(10 years)
Chrétien Stewart McKelvey Sterling Scales LLP (1980 to 1995)
Called to bar (1979)
appointed to Court of Appeal (2004)
Published criminal decisions (~47)
Marlene Jill Hamilton [25] 1995 - Oct 31, 2001
(7 years)
Chrétien appointed to Court of Appeal
Published criminal decisions (~1)
Justice John Edward Flinn 1995 - 2002
(8 years)
Chrétien Appointed to NSCA
Published criminal decisions (~0)
Arthur Joseph LeBlanc [26] [27] Halifax February 12, 1998 - 2017
(20 years)
Chrétien LeBlanc, MacDonald
Called to bar (1968)
appointed Lieutenant Governor (2017)
Published criminal decisions (~45)
Justice Duncan R. Beveridge [28] [29] March 3, 2008 to 2009
(1 year)
Harper Beveridge, MacPherson and Buckle (1994 to 2008)
MacInnes, Wilson, Flinn Wickwire (1989 to 1994)
Burke Beveridge (1984 to 1989)
Crown attorney (1980 to 1984)
Called to bar (1979)
Published criminal decisions (~12)
Peter M.S. Bryson [30] [31] Sept 9, 2009 to August 11, 2010
(1 year)
Harper McInnes Cooper (1982 to 2009)
Called to bar (1982)
Published criminal decisions (~5)
David P.S. Farrar [32][33] Sept 9, 2009 to February 10, 2010
(1 year)
Harper Stewart McKelvey Sterling Scales LLP (1987 to 2009)
Mockler Allen Dixon
Called to bar (1987)
Published criminal decisions (~4)
Cindy A. Bourgeois [34][35] 2009 to June 22, 2014
(6 years)
Harper Hicks, LeMoyne LLP (1992 to 2009)
Called to bar (1992)
Published criminal decisions (~13)

Past Justices (1980 to 1992)

  • County Court Eliminated in 1993
Name Duration Appointed by Prior Position(s) Other Details
Felix A. Cacchione [36] 1993 to Feb. 27, 2018 (ret)[1] Brian Mulroney County Court (June 12, 1986 to 1993)
Private Practice (criminal)
Nova Scotia Legal Aid
Called to bar (1975)
Published criminal decisions (~119)
A. David MacAdam 1992 (Judge)
September 2007 (sup)
 ? (retired)
Mulroney Published criminal decisions (~40)
Justice Margaret Stewart 1992 - ? Mulroney Published criminal decisions (~15)
Simon James MacDonald [37] Supreme Court Justice (January 30, 1993 to December 17, 2016) Brian Mulroney County Court Judge (November 18, 1982 to January 30, 1993)
NS Crown attorney
MacIntyre, MacDonald & Gillis
federal Department of Justice
Called to bar (1966)
Published criminal decisions (~17)
Douglas Lawrence MacLennan (1993 - ?) County Court (? to 1993) Published criminal decisions (~0)
Norman Robert Anderson 1993 - 1998 County Court (? - 1993) Published criminal decisions
Justice John Hugh MacDonnell 1993 - 1995 Published criminal decisions
Murray James Ryan [38] [39] Jan 1993 - 1994 County Court (1982 to 1993)
Crown prosecutor
Solicitor for North Sydney
Ryan and Ryan
Called to bar (1948)
Dal grad (1948)
Published criminal decisions (~0)
Justice Ronald Newton Pugsley 1993 - 2000 Brian Mulroney appointed to NSCA (2000)
Published criminal decisions
Justice Jamie William Sutherland Saunders
(Appointed to Court of Appeal)
1990 - 2015 Published criminal decisions (~31)
Allan Paul Boudreau [40] Supernumerary (2007 to October 31, 2016)
Supreme Court Justice(March 30, 1990 to 2007)
Crawford, Boudreau & Khattar (1975 to March 30, 1990) Published criminal decisions
David William Gruchy [41] July 5, 1990 (appt)[2]
February 15, 2007 (ret)[3]
Template:Mulroney Burchell, MacDougall and Gruchy (1958 to 1990)
Truro town solicitor (19075 to 1990)
Lorne MacDougall LLP
Called to bar (1958)
Dal grad
Published criminal decisions (~38)
Walter Robert Evans Goodfellow 1990[4] (appt.) October 1, 2009 (ret)[5] Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions
Ian H.M. Palmeter 1993 [6]
1997 (Ret.)
Brian Mulroney County Court (1985 - 1993) Published criminal decisions (~4)
Donald MacKinnon Hall (1993 - 2006) Brian Mulroney County (1982 to 1993) Published criminal decisions
Gerald B Freeman (County: 1988 to 1990) (1990[7] - 1993) Brian Mulroney appointed to the Court of Appeal (1993)
Published criminal decisions
Elizabeth Ann MacKinnon Roscoe 1989 to 1992 Brian Mulroney Appointed to Court of Appeal (1992)
Published criminal decisions (~3)
David Ritchie Chipman 1987 to 2000 Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions
John McNab Davison 1987 - 2008 Brian Mulroney
Gordon Alfred Tidman 1985 - 2007 Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions (~15)
Francis Bernard William Kelly 1985 - 2009 Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions
Kenneth McNeill Matthews 1985 - 1997 Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions
Robert Buckley MacDonald 1985 - 1995 Brian Mulroney Published criminal decisions
Hilroy Selig Nathanson 1982 - 2007 P. Trudeau Published criminal decisions
Daniel Merlin Nunn [42] 1982 - 2005 P. Trudeau Published criminal decisions
Lorne Otis Clarke 1981 - 1997 P. Trudeau Appointed to Court of Appeal (1997)
Published criminal decisions
Roderick MacLeod Rogers 1981 - 1998 P. Trudeau Published criminal decisions
J. Edward Scanlan 1993 - 2015 appointed to Court of Appeal (2015)
Published criminal decisions
Hiram Joseph Carver (1993 - 2005) County Court (? to 1993) Published criminal decisions
Nancy Jean Bateman 1993 - 1995 County Court (? to 1993) appointed to Court of Appeal (1995)

Published criminal decisions

Charles Edward Haliburton [43] January 1993 to 2013 County Court (1986 to 1993)
Eric Kinsman (1962 to 1986)
Member of Parliament (1972 to 1974, 1979 to 1980)
Published criminal decisions (~37)

Previous Justices (pre-1980)

Name Duration Appointed by Other Details
Charles Denne Burchell 1979 - 1989
Kenneth Peter Richard 1978 - ?
Leonard Lawson Pace 1978 - 1990
Constance Rachelle Glube 1977 - 1998 appointed to Court of Appeal
James Doane Hallett 1977 - 1990 appointed to Court of Appeal
William Johnston Grant 1977 - 1995 appointed to Court of Appeal
Angus Lewis Macdonald 1973 - 1992
Alexander Murdoch Macintosh 1973 - 1991
Ian Malcolm MacKeigan 1973 - 1990
Vincent Alan James Morrison 1973 - 1987
Malachi Cornelius Hubert Jones 1970 - 1979 appointed to Court of Appeal
Gordon Leavitt Shaw Hart 1968 - 1999
Donald Joseph Gillis 1968 - 1973
Arthur Gordon Cooper 1968 - 1983
Justin Louis Dubisky 1967 - 1976
Gordon Stewart Cowan 1966 - 1981
Alexander Hugh McKinnon 1966 - 1973
Ronald Manning Fielding 1965 - 1972
Vincent Joseph Pottier 1965 - 1970
Thomas Herbert Coffin 1961 - 1981
Frederick William Bissett 1961 - 1977
Frank Harris Patterson 1958 - 1965
Vincent Christopher MacDonald 1950 - 1964
Lauchlin Daniel Currie 1949 - 1968
James Lorimer llsley 1949 - 1967
Eugene Troop Parker 1948 - 1961
Josiah H. MacQuarrie 1947 - 1968
John Stanley Smiley 1938 - 1945

Past family division justices

Name Duration Appointed by Prior Position(s)
M. Clare MacLellan [44] Provincial Court Judge (1995 to 1998) and Supreme Court Family Division (1998 to 2017)
Douglas C. Campbell [45] Family Division, Halifax (March 30, 1999 to May 31, 2016)
Cox Hansen O'Reilly Matheson (1971 to March 30, 1999)
J. Vernon MacDonald [46]
Deborah Gass March 24, 1999 - 2018 Executive Director of the Penitentiary Legal Services (1979 to 1991)
Wright, Chivers & Co (1977)
Called to bar (1977)


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Membership of Federal Appointments Committees
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