A Supreme Court of Canada Justice has been put on immediate leave due to alleged conduct that was reported to his superiors.
Russell Brown is a 57-year-old Supreme Court Justice who received his Bachelor of Laws degree from UVic in 1994, after getting his Bachelor of Arts degree at UBC in his hometown of Vancouver in 1987.
Justice Brown also interned for a time through his schooling at the BC Legislature beginning in 1988.
Following his BC-based schooling, Justice Brown made Alberta his home where he worked primarily in commercial law, medical negligence, public authority liability, insurance law and trusts and estates.
In 2015, Prime Minister Stephen Harper controversially appointed Justice Brown to the highest court in Canada — the Supreme Court. His appointment was deemed controversial due to his personal politics and activism.
On January 31st, a complaint of Justice Brown’s “alleged conduct,” which is not being disclosed by Supreme Court representatives, was reported to the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada.
Chief Justice Wagner spoke with Justice Brown the following day and immediately put him on leave of all his duties.
On March 7th, the Canadian Judicial Council made a statement that the complaint of Justice Brown’s conduct is being reviewed without delay.
When Victoria Buzz inquired with the Canadian Judicial Council about the nature of Justice Brown’s ‘alleged conduct,’ a spokesperson replied, “As stated in our news release, we will not comment further on the complaint at this time.”
They added that, “The review of conduct matters can take some time, particularly if they are complex. However, I can assure you that it is in the interest of the public, the Council and the judge that the matter proceed in a timely way.”
More to come.
