Career
Early legal career
Martin practiced corporate,commercial,criminal,and constitutional law from 1996 until she left Code Hunter LLP after her appointment as a judge in 2005. [3] [4] [6] [5] She also worked pro bono for the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) and the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres in cases that reached the Supreme Court. Martin also worked on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement,and on the team that won compensation in the wrongful conviction case of David Milgaard. [4]
Martin appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada three times,for LEAF in Winnipeg Child and Family Services (Northwest Area) v G(DF) [7] and R v Shearing, [8] as well as for the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres in R v Mills . [9]
Over the years,Martin has received numerous awards,including the Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship,the Law Society of Alberta’s Certificate of Merit,and the YWCA’s Advancement of Women Award. [10]
Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal of Alberta
In 2005,Martin was appointed as judge to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary. Since 2009,she had also served as a deputy judge for the Supreme Court of Yukon. [3] As a trial judge,she was one of the first judges in Canada to permit court journalists to use instant messaging in the courtroom while proceedings were ongoing. [4]
In March 2016,Martin issued the first judicial approval in Canada for a person requesting assisted death after the Supreme Court's decision in Carter v Canada (AG) . She allowed the assisted death for a woman diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,and held the hearing closed to the public and media to respect her privacy. Martin decided that statements in support of the application from two doctors were sufficient,a decision which rejected guidelines from the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that more statements were required. Martin also held that no psychiatric assessment on the day of death was necessary,and that the applicant's request should not fail on technical or legalistic grounds. Martin also ruled that the ruling would apply across Canada,which allowed the applicant to travel out of province in order to fulfill her wish of assisted death. [11] [12]
In June 2016,Martin was appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau to the Court of Appeal of Alberta,the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories,and the Court of Appeal of Nunavut. [3]
Supreme Court
Martin was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 18,2017. [13] In January 2026,Martin announced that she would step down from the bench effective May 30. [14]
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