Province Appoints Two Associate Chief Judges of the Provincial, Family Courts

Judge Shane Russell and Judge Ronda van der Hoek have been appointed associate chief judges of the Nova Scotia provincial and family courts.

“Nova Scotians are fortunate to have two high quality members of the provincial bench take on the associate chief judge roles,” said Brad Johns, Attorney General and Minister of Justice. “These appointees are experienced and respected judges with deep roots in their communities, and I know they will make tremendous contributions to the administration of the courts in our province.”

Judge Russell, of Sydney, practised law for 17 years as a Crown attorney, and served as co-counsel with the Desmond Fatality Inquiry until his appointment to the provincial court in December 2021. He served as a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society’s council, gender equity committee and provincial court liaison committee.

Judge van der Hoek, of Windsor, practised law for 19 years before her appointment to the provincial court in January 2017. She was counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, counsel with Nova Scotia Legal Aid in Windsor and Halifax and former federal co-chair of the justice committee of the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum.

Quick Facts:

• the appointments are for a term of three years and effective immediately
• associate chief judges are selected by the government from a list of candidates recommended by an independent recruitment committee which is chaired by the Chief Judge

Additional Resources:

Information on Nova Scotia courts: https://www.courts.ns.ca