The Court of Appeal for Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia Court of Appeal or NSCA) is the highest appeal court in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. There are currently 8 judicial seats including one assigned to the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. [1] At any given time there may be one or more additional justices who sit as supernumerary justices. [1] The court sits in Halifax, which is the capital of Nova Scotia. Cases are heard by a panel of three judges. They publish approximately 80 cases each year.
The Court of Appeal was established on 30 January 1993. From 1966 to 1993, appeals pursuant to Supreme Court cases were heard by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and, prior to 1966, by a panel of Supreme Court judges sitting en banc. [2] The Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal is the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. Prior to the establishment of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice was the Chief Justice of the Appeal Division (1966–1993) and, before 1966, of the Supreme Court.
The court derives its power from legislation of the Nova Scotia legislature, the Judicature Act . It hears appeals from the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Provincial Court of Nova Scotia, and various tribunals.
Only the Supreme Court of Canada has jurisdiction to hear appeals from decisions of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal; in practice this happens a few times a year.
| Name | Appointed | Nominated By | Prior Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Michael Wood | 2019 | J. Trudeau | Supreme Court (2011 to 2019) Burchells LLP |
| Justice Cindy A. Bourgeois [3] [4] | 2014 | Harper | Supreme Court (2009 to 2014) Hicks, LeMoyne LLP (1992 to 2009) |
| Justice Peter M.S. Bryson [5] [6] | 2010 | Harper | Supreme Court (2009 to 2010) McInnes Cooper (1982 to 2009) |
| Justice Anne Derrick [7] | 2017 | J. Trudeau | Provincial Court (2007 to 2017) Beaton Derrick (1984 to 2007) |
| Justice Robin Gogan | 2024 | J. Trudeau | Supreme Court (2013 to 2024) |
| Justice David P.S. Farrar [5] [8] | 2010 | Harper | Supreme Court (2009 to 2010) Stewart McKelvey Sterling Scales LLP (1985 to 2009) Mockler Allen Dixon |
| Justice Elizabeth Van den Eynden [9] [10] | 2015 | Harper | Supreme Court (2013 to 2015) MacIntosh, MacDonnell & MacDonald (1988 to 2013) |
| Justice Carole Beaton | 2019 | J. Trudeau | Supreme Court (2011 to 2019) |
Supernumerary
| Name | Appointed | Nominated By | Prior Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Joel E. Fichaud [11] | September 26, 2003 | Chretien | Patterson Palmer |
| Justice J. Edward Scanlan [12] | October 2, 2013 | Harper | |
| Name | Duration | Nominated By | Prior Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Constance Glube | (1998–2005) | ||
| Justice Gerald Freeman | (1998–2006) | ||
| Justice Jamie W. S. Saunders | (2000–2020) | Chretien | Supreme Court (1990 to 2000) |
| Justice Linda L. Oland | (2000–2020) | Chretien | McInnes Cooper Supreme Court (1998 to 2000) |
| Justice Thomas Cromwell | (1997–2008) | ||
| Justice Nancy J. Bateman | (1995–2010) | ||
| Justice Edward John Flinn | (1995–2002) | ||
| Justice Ronald Newton Pugsley | (1993–2000) | ||
| Justice Elizabeth Ann Roscoe | (1992–2010) | ||
| Justice J. Doane Hallett | (1990–1997) | ||
| Justice David Ritchie Chipman | (1987–2000) | ||
| Justice Kenneth McNeill Matthews | (1985–1997) | ||
| Justice Lorne Otis Clarke | (1985–1997) | ||
| Justice Vincent A.J. Morrison | (1982–1987) | ||
| Justice Leonard Lawson Pace | (1978–1990) |
The Chief Justice of Nova Scotia is the highest position in the Nova Scotia judiciary. Since the creation of the Court of Appeal, this title is held by the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal. Prior to that the title was held by the Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Appeal Division (1966–1993) or the Supreme Court (before 1966). For completeness the list includes Chief Justices of Cape Breton Island, which merged with Nova Scotia in 1820.
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Sir Thomas Andrew Lumisden Strange was a chief justice in Nova Scotia, known for waging "judicial war" to free Black Nova Scotian slaves from their owners. From 1789 to 1797, he was the sixth Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. He became the first Chief Justice of the erstwhile Supreme Court of Madras and in that capacity was also the first Chief Justice of the Madras Presidency, British India from 1801 to 1817, and also wrote two volume text on Hindu law.
St. Paul's Church is a historically evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, an open square in downtown Halifax with Halifax City Hall at the northern end.
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Lawrence I. O'Neil is a Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Family Division. He was a lawyer by profession. Between 1984 and 1988, he was a Progressive Conservative party member of the House of Commons of Canada.
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