The Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador is at the top of the hierarchy of courts for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Court of Appeal derives its powers and jurisdiction from the Court of Appeal Act.
The independent Court of Appeal was established in 2018 and comprises the Chief Justice and five other justices.NUMBER OF FEDERALLY APPOINTED JUDGES AS OF JULY 1, 2018, www.fja.gc.ca At any given time there may be one or more additional justices who sit as supernumerary justices. From 1975 until 2018 the Court of Appeal was constituted as the appeal division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador with judges appointed specifically to hear appeals from the General Division of the Supreme Court. Prior to 1975 both trial and appeals were carried out in the Supreme Court, where the individual judges routinely acted as a trial judges but, in the event of an appeal, would sit together (en banc) to hear it.
The Court now hears appeals of all type from the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador's General Division and Family Division, the Provincial Court, and a number of boards and tribunals. Decisions are subject to final appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to 1949, when Newfoundland became a province of Canada, final appeals passed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which was the highest court for the British Empire and Commonwealth. (For a list of Newfoundland decisions from the Judicial Committee, see: List of Newfoundland Cases of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (pre-1949)).
Current members Position / Name Appointed Nominated by Position prior to appointment Chief Justice Daniel Boone Trudeau Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division) Justice Francis P. O’Brien Trudeau Director of Legal Education, Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador Justice Frances Knickle Trudeau Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division) Justice Katherine O'Brien Trudeau Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division) Justice Glen Noel Trudeau Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division)
Supernumerary Position / Name Appointed Nominated by Position prior to appointment Justice William H. Goodridge Trudeau Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division)
List of chief justices Source (1791–1880):
Court of Civil Jurisdiction founded 1791 Supreme Court of Judicature of the Island of Newfoundland founded 1792 Supreme Court of Newfoundland founded 1824 Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal founded 1975.
No Name Appointed Position prior to appointment Notes 26 Daniel Boone 15 June 2026 Court of Appeal 25 Deborah Fry Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trial Division) 24 J. Derek Green 27 Mar 2009 Became a Supernumerary Justice on 1 December 2017Chief Justice Derek Green stepping down in December 23 Clyde Wells 1999 Court of Appeal to 2009 22 James R. Gushue 1996 to 1998 21 Noel Goodridge 17 Nov 1986 20 Arthur Samuel Mifflin 1979 Chief Justice Trials Division 19 Robert Stafford Furlong 1958 18 Sir Albert Joseph Walsh Sep 1949 1st Lieutenant-Governor 17 Sir Lewis Edward Emerson 1944 Commissioner for Defence 16 Sir William Henry Horwood 25 July 1902 Minister of Justice and Attorney-General 15 Sir Joseph Ignatius Little 1898 Judge 14 Sir Frederick Bowker Terrington Carter 20 May 1880 Prime Minister of Newfoundland 13 Sir Hugh William Hoyles 4 March 1865 Prime Minister and Attorney General 12 Sir Francis Brady 29 Nov 1847 11 Thomas Norton 5 Nov 1844 10 John Gervase Hutchinson Bourne 1838 Removed from office, 1844 9 Henry John Boulton 1833 Attorney General of Upper Canada Removed from office, 1844 8 Richard Alexander Tucker 1 Oct 1822 7 Sir Francis Forbes 4 Aug 1816 Crown Law Officer in Bermuda left to be the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. 6 Caesar Colclough 1813 Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island 5 Thomas Tremlett 1804 Naval Officer Exchanged for Colclough, 1813 4 Jonathan Ogden 1803 Naval Officer 3 Richard Routh 1797 Collector of Customs Drowned at sea 2 D'Ewes Coke 1793 Naval surgeon 1 John Reeves 1791 Law Clerk to the Board of Trade (held concurrently) Sole judge; author of the Judicature Acts of 1791 and 1792
See also Judicial appointments in Canada Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador
References
External links
Official website