Stephen Harper announces new Supreme Court of Canada Justice

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Russell Brown will take the place of Justice Marshall Rothstein as of August 15.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Justice Russell Brown to the Supreme Court of Canada. 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. 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,” said Prime Minister Harper in a statement. 

Justice Brown was appointed from the Court of Appeal of Alberta where he sat in Edmonton and is also a judge of the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories and a judge of the Court of Appeal of Nunavut.

Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Brown was an associate professor and associate dean for the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta. He also worked at law firms in Edmonton, Victoria, and Vancouver.

Justice Brown is the second Supreme Court Judge from a western province to be appointed. The first was Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria. He also received a Master of Laws and a Doctor of Juridical Science, both from the University of Toronto. He is a member of the bars of British Columbia and Alberta.