The Canadian Judicial Council is investigating a complaint about the conduct of Justice Russell Brown of the Supreme Court of Canada.
This revelation brings to light the reasons behind the notable absence of the magistrate, the latter not having been seen on the bench recently.
Neither the Supreme Court nor the Canadian Judicial Council, however, intend to reveal the allegations against Judge Brown, who was appointed to the highest court in the land in 2015. He had previously served on the Alberta Court of Appeal. .
Since the Judicial Council revealed the existence of the complaint to the public on Tuesday, the Supreme Court at the same time confirmed the reasons which led Judge Brown to be absent from the bench. Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner had been notified of the filing of that lawsuit on January 31, 2023, the court statement said, and had placed Justice Brown on leave of office the following day. It will remain so until the Council has ruled on the complaint.
Since questions were raised about the absence of a judge from the Supreme Court of Canada, which has only nine, “the chair of the Judicial Conduct Committee decided that it was in the public interest to announce the review of this case, ”says a press release from the Canadian Judicial Council.
The Supreme Court assures that its activities will continue as usual, recalling that the law allows it to sit with a minimum of five judges.
The Canadian Judicial Council did not want to specify whether this was the first time that it has been called upon to examine a complaint made against a Supreme Court judge.
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