Chief Justice of the Superior Court Jacques R. Fournier will step down on 1er next May after seven years at the head of the Tribunal. The magistrate then intends to sit as a supernumerary judge until his retirement.
“His departure as Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec had been expected for some time. It is not a surprise, specifies Caroline St-Pierre, spokesperson for the Courts of Quebec.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the judges of the Superior Court, Chief Justice Fournier tells his colleagues that he wrote to the two justice ministers on Monday to advise them of his decision to resign. He adds that he wants to sit as a supernumerary judge as of May 2, 2022.
“I would have been in charge of the Court for almost eight and a half years, first as Associate Chief Justice from December 2013 to June 2015 and since then as Chief Justice. I have deeply enjoyed serving the Court in these capacities, and honored to have so many colleagues of such high caliber. However, I consider that the time has come to make room, ”wrote the Chief Justice in the letter.
During his years at the helm of the Superior Court, Chief Justice Fournier never hesitated to take a public stand on important issues in the justice system, particularly in the wake of the Jordan decision. In 2019, for example, he invited ministers to reflect on the consequences of certain reforms in family and criminal law on the justice system.
Chief Justice Fournier has also already taken a position in certain hot cases to denounce the abuses of the judicial system, in particular about the ultra rich who congest the courts and the proliferation of class actions.
“Every time a party abuses a day, there are two ladies or two gentlemen who need alimony and are waiting,” he said to Press in 2018.
In an interview with Press last month, but published in part in our pages this Friday, the chief justice denounced the working conditions granted to the staff of the court and said he was concerned about the shortage of manpower.
“It’s a problem that hits the whole of society. I find it ironic that we are talking about the problems of restaurateurs finding staff, but we are not talking about the problems of the three cornerstones of democracy in recruiting staff, ”he said.
With Philippe Teiscera-Lessard and Tristan Péloquin, Press