Fredericton, Woodstock get new judges
Justice minister announces judicial appointments, promotions; all positions on bench filled
Just a month after a Campbellton lawyer was named to the bench in Fredericton, the province has added another new judge to the capital’s complement, this time from Bathurst.
In a news release Wednesday morning, Justice Minister Ted Flemming announced the appointment of two new provincial court judges, plus the promotion of two sitting judges.
The minister has appointed prosecutor Pierre Gionet to the provincial court bench, and he’ll preside over court in Fredericton, the release said.
It said Gionet earned his law degree from l’Université de Moncton in 1995 and was called to the in 1996. He’s worked as a provincial Crown prosecutor since 2000, and the government employee director shows that he has most recently been the regional director of prosecution services for the Bathurst region.
Gionet’s appointment comes just a month after Flemming announced Campbellton lawyer Lyne Raymond to the bench in Fredericton, though she has yet to preside over any cases since the July announcement.
Also named to the provincial bench Wednesday was longtime prosecutor Karen Lee. In recent years, she’s been based in Woodstock, and Flemming said in the release she will preside over court in that town as well.
Until her judicial appointment, Lee was the executive director of the public prosecutions branch for the province, and before that, she was with special prosecutions, known for her handling of sex-crime cases, notably those involving child victims.
Lee earned her law degree from the University of New Brunswick in 2000 and was admitted to the bar in 2001.
The justice minister also announced that Woodstock provincial court Judge Brian McLean is being promoted from the position of associate chief judge of the provincial court to chief judge of the court.
His predecessor in the role, Judge Marco Cloutier, was named to the Court of King’s Bench recently, prompting the promotion.
McLean was first named to the bench in 2014.
Replacing McLean as the associate chief judge is Fredericton provincial court Judge Mélanie Poirier LeBlanc. She was just named to the bench in late November, and before that, she was the province’s assistant deputy attorney general of public prosecution services.
Both and McLean will be in the judicial management roles for a seven-year term.
“With these changes, the court has its full complement of 25 full-time judges, including the chief judge and associate chief judge, in addition to four supernumerary and four per diem judges,” the Department of Justice and Public Safety news release said Wednesday.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
Interesting that higgs is appointing a francophone person