Supreme Court of Canada (Historical)
Past Justices
| # | 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 |
| 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) | |
| 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 | |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 45 | Ronald Martland (1909–1997) |
Jan 15, 1958 – Feb 9, 1982 |
Diefenbaker | University of Alberta, University of Oxford (1928, 1931)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 23 | Louis-Philippe Brodeur (1862–1924) |
Aug 11, 1911 – Oct 9, 1923 |
Laurier | Université Laval à Montréal, Faculté de droit (1884)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 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)
| |
| 11 | George Edwin King (1839–1901) |
Sep 21, 1893 – May 8, 1901 |
Thompson | Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer (1865)
| |
| 10 | Robert Sedgewick (1848–1906) |
Feb 18, 1893 – Aug 4, 1906 |
Thompson | Articles of clerkship with a senior lawyer (1872)
| |
| 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 |