For the first time a female judge has been appointed chief justice of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench.
Mary Moreau will take on the role after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced her appointment Tuesday.
Justice Mary Moreau has been appointed chief justice of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. (Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association)
Since joining the bench in 1994, Moreau has been involved in education, administration and strategic planning for Canada’s court system, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a news release.
Moreau has presided over French and bilingual trials in Alberta, and litigated numerous landmark cases involving minority language rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
She is a co-founder of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Alberta.
Since 2014, Moreau has been a member of the advisory committee on judicial ethics, which provides confidential advisory opinions on ethical issues to federally appointed judges across Canada.
Before becoming a judge, Moreau practised criminal law, constitutional law and civil litigation in Edmonton.