Supreme Court of Canada (Historical)

Past Justices

See also: Supreme Court of Canada
# Name Service duration Appointed on
advice of
Prior position Other details
81 Michael J. Moldaver 21 October 2011 to present Harper Court of Appeal for Ontario
77 Rosalie Abella Aug 30, 2004 –
July 1, 2021
Martin / Cotler (Lib) Court of Appeal for Ontario (1992 to 2004)
McGill law prof (1988 to 1992)
Ontario Labour Relations Board (1984 to 1988)
Royal Commission on Equality in Employment (1984)
Family Court
private practice (civil and criminal) (1972 to 1976)

Called to bar (1972)
decisions from ONCA

decisions as labour board chair
decisions as family court judge
decisions as counsel
Academic articles

84 Clément Gascon Jun 9, 2014 –
2019
Harper Quebec Court of Appeal
Superior Court (2002 to 2012)
Heenan Blaikie
McGill grad (1981)
77 Beverley McLachlin Mar 30, 1989 – Dec 14, 2017 (Judge)
Jan 7, 2000 – Dec 14, 2017 (CJ)
Mulroney (Judge)
Chrétien (CJ)
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
80 Thomas Cromwell Dec 22, 2008 –
Aug 31, 2016
Harper Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
79 Marshall Rothstein Mar 1, 2006 –
Aug 30, 2015
Harper Federal Court of Appeal Academic articles
78 Louise Charron Aug 30, 2004 –
Aug 29, 2011
Martin Court of Appeal for Ontario
76 Morris J. Fish Aug 5, 2003 – Aug 30, 2013 Chrétien Quebec Court of Appeal (1989 to 2003)
Cohen, Leithman, Kaufman, Yarosky & Fish (1967 to 1989)
McGill grad (1962)
74 Louis LeBel Jan 7, 2000 – Nov 29, 2014 Chrétien Quebec Court of Appeal (1984 to 2000)
private practice (labour) (1962 to 1984)
Called to bar (1962)
Laval grad (1962)
decisions as counsel
75 Marie Deschamps Aug 7, 2002 –
Aug 6, 2012
Chrétien Quebec Court of Appeal
73 Louise Arbour Sep 15, 1999 – Jun 30, 2004 Chrétien Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda
Court of Appeal for Ontario (1990 to 1999)
Osgoode Law Prof (1974 to 1987)
Law Reform Commission of Canada (1972 to 1973)
Called to bar (1971)
72 William Ian Corneil Binnie Jan 8, 1998 – Oct 20, 2011 Chrétien McCarthy Tétrault (1986 to 1998)
Assoc. Deputy Minister of Justice (1982 to 1986)
Wright & McTaggart (1967 to 1982)
Called to bar (1967)
71 Michel Bastarache Sep 30, 1997 – Jun 30, 2008 Chrétien New Brunswick Court of Appeal
70 John C. Major Nov 13, 1992 –
Dec 24, 2005
Mulroney Court of Appeal of Alberta
69 Frank Iacobucci Jan 7, 1991 –
Jun 30, 2004
Mulroney Chief Justice of the Federal Court
68 William Stevenson Sep 17, 1990 – Jun 4, 1992 Mulroney Court of Appeal of Alberta
Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories
66 Peter Cory Feb 1, 1989 – May 31, 1999 Mulroney Court of Appeal for Ontario (1981 to 1989)
Superior Court (1974 to 1981)
Holden, Murdoch (1950 to 1974)
Called to bar (1950)
65 Charles Gonthier Feb 1, 1989 – Jul 31, 2003 Mulroney Quebec Court of Appeal
64 John Sopinka May 24, 1988 – Nov 24, 1997 Mulroney Lawyer
63 Claire L'Heureux-Dubé Apr 15, 1987 – Jun 30, 2002 Mulroney Quebec Court of Appeal
62 Gérard La Forest Jan 16, 1985 – Sep 29, 1997 Mulroney New Brunswick Court of Appeal
61 Gerald Eric Le Dain May 29, 1984 –
Nov 29, 1988
P. Trudeau Federal Court of Appeal (1975 to 1984)

Osgoode law prof (1967 to 1972)
McGill Law prof (1953 to 1959, 1966 to 1967)
Walker, Martineau, Chauvin, Walker & Allison (1950 to 1953)
Called to Bar (1949)

60 Bertha Wilson Mar 4, 1982 – Jan 3, 1991 P. Trudeau Court of Appeal for Ontario
59 Antonio Lamer Mar 28, 1980 – Jan 6, 2000 (Judge)
Jul 1, 1990 – Jan 6, 2000 (CJ)
P. Trudeau (Judge)
Mulroney (CJ)
Quebec Court of Appeal
58 Julien Chouinard Sep 24, 1979 – Feb 6, 1987 Clark Quebec Court of Appeal
Gagné, Prévost, Flynn
Called to bar (1953)
57 William Rogers McIntyre Jan 1, 1979 – Feb 14, 1989 P. Trudeau British Columbia Court of Appeal

decisions as counsel

56 Yves Pratte
(1925–1988)
Oct 1, 1977 –
Jun 29, 1979
P. Trudeau Université Laval (Faculté de droit (Université Laval)) and University of Toronto
Chairman of Air Canada
55 Willard Zebedee Estey
(1919–2002)
Sep 29, 1977 –
Apr 21, 1988
P. Trudeau University of Saskatchewan College of Law
Chief Justice of Ontario
53 Jean Beetz Jan 1, 1974 –
Nov 9, 1988
P. Trudeau Quebec Court of Appeal
54 Louis-Philippe de Grandpré
(1917–2008)
Jan 1, 1974 –
Sep 30, 1977
P. Trudeau McGill University Faculty of Law
President of the Canadian Bar Association
52 Robert George Brian Dickson
(1916–1998)
Mar 26, 1973 –
Jun 29, 1990
P. Trudeau (as puisne justice and later as Chief Justice) University of Manitoba Faculty of Law
(1938)
Manitoba Court of Appeal
51 Bora Laskin
(1912–1984)
Mar 19, 1970 –
Mar 26, 1984
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
50 Louis-Philippe Pigeon
(1905–1986)
Sep 21, 1967 –
Feb 7, 1980
Pearson Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1928)
Lawyer
49 Wishart Flett Spence
(1904–1998)
May 30, 1963 –
Dec 28, 1978
Pearson Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1928) High Court of Justice of Ontario
48 Emmett Matthew Hall
(1898–1995)
Nov 23, 1962 –
Feb 28, 1973
Diefenbaker University of Saskatchewan College of Law
(1919)


Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan

47 Roland Almon Ritchie
(1910–1988)
May 5, 1959 –
Oct 30, 1984
Diefenbaker University of Oxford
(1932)
Lawyer
46 Wilfred Judson
(1902–1980)
Feb 5, 1958 –
Jul 19, 1977
Diefenbaker Osgoode Hall Law School (Law Society of Upper Canada)
(1932)


High Court of Justice of Ontario

45 Ronald Martland
(1909–1997)
Jan 15, 1958 –
Feb 9, 1982
Diefenbaker University of Alberta, University of Oxford
(1928, 1931)


Lawyer

44 Henry Grattan Nolan
(1893–1957)
Mar 1, 1956 –
Jul 8, 1957
St. Laurent Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(English and Alberta bars)
Lawyer
43 Douglas Charles Abbott
(1899–1987)
Jul 1, 1954 –
Dec 22, 1973
St. Laurent McGill Law School
Minister of Finance (federal)
41 John Robert Cartwright Dec 22, 1949 –
Mar 22, 1970
St. Laurent (as puisne justice);
Pearson (as chief justice)
Lawyer
42 Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux
(1900–1980)
Dec 22, 1949 –
Dec 22, 1973
St. Laurent (as puisne justice);
P. Trudeau (as chief justice)
Université de Montréal Faculty of Law
(1925)
Quebec Superior Court
40 Charles Holland Locke Jun 3, 1947 –
Sep 15, 1962
King Lawyer
39 James Wilfred Estey
(1889–1956)
Oct 6, 1944 –
Jan 22, 1956
King Harvard Law School
(1915)

Attorney General of Saskatchewan

38 Roy Lindsay Kellock
(1893–1975)
Oct 3, 1944 –
Jan 14, 1958
King Court of Appeal for Ontario
37 Ivan Cleveland Rand
(1884–1969)
Apr 22, 1943 –
Apr 26, 1959
King Harvard Law School
(1912)
Lawyer
articles
SCC decisions
36 Robert Taschereau
(1896–1970)
Feb 9, 1940 –
Aug 31, 1967
King (as puisne justice);
Diefenbaker (as chief justice)
Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1920)<
Lawyer
35 Albert Blellock Hudson
(1875–1947)
Mar 24, 1936 –
Jan 6, 1947
King University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law
(1898)
Lawyer
34 Patrick Kerwin
(1889–1963)
Jul 20, 1935 –
Feb 2, 1963
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
33 Henry Hague Davis
(1885–1944)
Jan 31, 1935 –
Jun 30, 1944
Bennett University of Toronto Faculty of Law
(1911)


Court of Appeal for Ontario

32 Frank Joseph Hughes
(1883–1967)
Mar 17, 1933 –
Feb 12, 1935
Bennett Osgoode grad
(1911)
Lawyer
31 Oswald Smith Crocket
(1868–1945)
Sep 21, 1932 –
Apr 12, 1943
Bennett Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1892)


Supreme Court of New Brunswick

30 Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon
(1877–1939)
Jan 14, 1930 –
Dec 25, 1939
King Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1899)
Court of King's Bench for Quebec
29 Robert Smith
(1858–1942)
May 18, 1927 –
Dec 6, 1933
King Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1885)
Supreme Court of Ontario (Appellate Division)
28 John Henderson Lamont
(1865–1936)
Apr 2, 1927 –
Mar 10, 1936
King University of Toronto Faculty of Law
(1893)


Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan

27 Thibaudeau Rinfret
(1879–1962)
Oct 1, 1924 –
Jun 21, 1954
King (as puisne justice and later as chief justice) Université Laval à Montréal and McGill Law School
(1900)
Quebec Superior Court
26 Edmund Leslie Newcombe
(1859–1931)
Sep 16, 1924 –
Dec 9, 1931
King University of Halifax
(1881)
Deputy Minister of Justice (federal)
25 Arthur Cyrille Albert Malouin
(1857–1936)
Jan 30, 1924 –
Sep 30, 1924
King Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1882)
Quebec Superior Court
24 Pierre-Basile Mignault
(1854–1945)
Oct 25, 1918 –
Sep 30, 1929
Borden McGill Law School
(1878)


Member of the International Joint Commission

23 Louis-Philippe Brodeur
(1862–1924)
Aug 11, 1911 –
Oct 9, 1923
Laurier Université Laval à Montréal, Faculté de droit
(1884)


Minister of the Naval Service

22 Francis Alexander Anglin
(1865–1933)
Feb 23, 1909 –
Feb 27, 1933
Laurier (as puisne justice);
King (as chief justice)
The Law Society of Upper Canada
(1888)


High Court of Justice of Ontario (Exchequer Division)

21 Sir Lyman Duff
(1865–1955)
Sep 27, 1906 –
Jan 6, 1944
Laurier (as puisne justice);
Bennett (as chief justice)
Osgoode Hall Law School
Supreme Court of British Columbia
20 Sir Charles Fitzpatrick
(1853–1942)
Jun 4, 1906 –
Oct 20, 1918
Laurier (directly as chief justice) Université Laval, Faculté de droit
(1876)
Minister of Justice (Canada)
19 James Maclennan
(1833–1915)
Oct 5, 1905 –
Feb 12, 1909
Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1857)


Court of Appeal for Ontario

18 John Idington
(1840–1928)
Feb 10, 1905 –
Mar 30, 1927
Laurier University of Toronto
(1864) High Court of Justice of Ontario
17 Albert Clements Killam
(1849–1908)
Aug 8, 1903 –
Feb 5, 1905
Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1877)
Chief Justice of Manitoba
16 Wallace Nesbitt
(1858–1930)
May 16, 1903 –
Oct 3, 1905
Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1881)
Lawyer
15 John Douglas Armour
(1830–1903)
Nov 21, 1902 –
Jul 11, 1903
Laurier Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1853)


Chief Justice of Ontario

14 David Mills
(1831–1903)
Feb 8, 1902 –
May 8, 1903
Laurier University of Michigan
(1867)
Minister of Justice (Canada)
and Leader of the Government in the Senate
13 Sir Louis Henry Davies
(1845–1924)
Sep 25, 1901 –
May 1, 1924
Laurier (as puisne justice);
Borden (as chief justice)
Inner Temple, London
(1866)
Member of Parliament for West Queen's
12 Désiré Girouard
(1836–1911)
Sep 28, 1895 –
Mar 22, 1911
Bowell McGill Law School
(1860)


Member of Parliament for Jacques Cartier

11 George Edwin King
(1839–1901)
Sep 21, 1893 –
May 8, 1901
Thompson Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1865)


Supreme Court of New Brunswick

10 Robert Sedgewick
(1848–1906)
Feb 18, 1893 –
Aug 4, 1906
Thompson Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1872)


Deputy Minister of Justice (Federal)

9 Christopher Salmon Patterson
(1823–1893)
Oct 27, 1888 –
Jul 24, 1893
Macdonald Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
8 John Wellington Gwynne
(1814–1902)
Jan 14, 1879 –
Jan 7, 1902
Macdonald Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1837)
Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
7 Henri-Elzéar Taschereau
(1836–1911)
Oct 7, 1878 –
May 1, 1906
Mackenzie (as puisne justice);
Laurier (as chief justice)
Quebec Superior Court
6 William Alexander Henry
(1816–1888)
Sep 30, 1875 – May 3, 1888 Mackenzie Lawyer
5 Télesphore Fournier
(1823–1896)
Sep 30, 1875 –
Sep 11, 1895
Mackenzie Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer
(1846) Postmaster General
4 [Jean-Thomas Taschereau
(1814–1893)
Sep 30, 1875 –
Oct 6, 1878
Mackenzie Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer; École de droit de Paris
(1837)

Court of Queen's Bench of Quebec

3 Samuel Henry Strong Sep 30, 1875 – Nov 17, 1902 (Judge)
Dec 13, 1892 – Nov 17, 1902 (CJ)
Mackenzie (Judge)
Thompson (CJ)
Ontario Court of Error & Appeal
2 William Johnstone Ritchie Sep 30, 1875 – Sep 25, 1892
Jan 11, 1879 – Sep 25, 1892 (Chief)
Mackenzie (Judge);
Macdonald (Chief)
Chief Justice of New Brunswick
1 William Buell Richards Sep 30, 1875 – Jan 10, 1879 Mackenzie (CJ) Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Canada West
Court Membership
Supreme Court of Canada (SCC)
British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA)
Supreme Court of British Columbia (BCSC)
Provincial Court of British Columbia (BCPC)
Court of Appeal of Alberta (ABCA)
Court of King's Bench of Alberta (ABKB)
Alberta Court of Justice (ABCJ)
Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan (SKCA)
Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan (SKKB)
Provincial Court of Saskatchewan (SKPC)
Manitoba Court of Appeal (MBCA)
Court of King's Bench of Manitoba (MBKB)
Provincial Court of Manitoba (MBPC)
Court of Appeal for Ontario (ONCA)
Superior Court of Ontario (ONSC)
Ontario Court of Justice (ONCJ)
Quebec Court of Appeal (QCCA)
Quebec Superior Court (QCCS)
Court of Quebec (QCCQ)
New Brunswick Court of Appeal (NBCA)
Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick (NBKB)
New Brunswick Provincial Court (NBPC)
Court of Appeal of Prince Edward Island (PEICA)
Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island (PEISC)
Provincial Court of Prince Edward Island (PEIPC)
Nova Scotia Court of Appeal (NSCA)
Nova Scotia Supreme Court (NSSC)
Nova Scotia Provincial Court (NSPC)
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Court of Appeal) (NLCA)
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLSC)
Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLPC)
Territorial Courts (YKTC, YKSC, YKCA, NTTC, NTSC, NTCA, NUCJ, NUCA)
Membership of Federal Appointments Committees