Harper Picks Justice Thomas Cromwell to Complete S.C.C.

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Posted By: David Shulman September 7, 2008

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has nominated Nova Scotia appeal judge Thomas Cromwell to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Cromwell will succeed Justice Michel Bastarache, who retired from the S.C.C. on 30 June 2008.

Justice Thomas CromwellJustice Cromwell holds a Bachelor of Music degree, a law degree, and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree. He was a professor of law at Dalhousie University from 1982 to 1992 and from 1995 to 1997. From 1992 to 1995, he was Executive Legal Officer in the chambers of then-Chief Justice of Canada Antonio Lamer. In 1997, Jean Chretien appointed him to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.

“Thomas Cromwell’s candidacy was highly recommended by judges, lawyers and other Atlantic Canadians,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “He is well qualified to serve on the country’s highest court.”

According to the Office of The Prime Minister,

The Prime Minister said that an appointment will not be made until Mr. Justice Cromwell has the opportunity to answer questions from an ad hoc all-party committee of the House of Commons.  This would be only the second time in Canadian history that a Supreme Court nominee faced questions from Members of Parliament.

“I am looking forward to watching the ad hoc committee’s work and listening to Mr. Cromwell’s answers,” said the Prime Minister.

About the Author

David Shulman
David Shulman holds a B.A.(hons.) from Queen’s University, having majored in Philosophy and minored in History. There, he founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, a successful student academic magazine called Syndicus. The magazine still publishes regularly, and has interviewed such intellectually and socially noteworthy individuals as Noam Chomsky, Arthur Erickson, and Peter Mansbridge. At present, he occasionally advises the current editors. David also holds an M.A. from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), with a specialization in Analytic Philosophy (“PHILMASTER”). His studies and thesis focused on Philosophy of Language and Logic. He is currently a first-year law student at the University of Windsor. His interests include social justice, analytic philosophy, French language, politics, reading, writing, editing, squash, and paintballing.