Ottawa has made its choice: Judge Marie-Anne Paquette was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec on Monday. The magistrate thus replaces Jacques R. Fournier who announced his departure last December after seven years at the head of the court.
Posted at 1:07 p.m.
Chief Justice Fournier actually made the announcement to the bench on Monday morning, learned The Press. However, the Department of Justice of Canada had not made the official announcement as of Monday afternoon.
The new chief justice inherits several hot issues, particularly the shortage of court personnel, which raises fears of the worst in Quebec courthouses. His predecessor recently declared that the shortage could lead to a “catastrophe” if the government does not react.
Appointed in 2010, the new chief justice was coordinating judge of the commercial division of the Superior Court of Quebec. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Justice Paquette had a career with McCarthy Tétrault and Woods. As a magistrate, she mainly sat in civil matters.