Canada taps Alberta judge to fill spot on country's Supreme Court
OTTAWA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday tapped Alberta judge Sheilah Martin to sit on the country's top court, filling the spot that will be left when the chief justice retires next month.
Trudeau did not say who will take over as Canada's top judge when Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin steps down on Dec 15. McLachlin was the first woman to become chief justice and oversaw landmark rulings on topics such as same-sex marriage and prostitution.
The appointment of Martin will maintain the gender split of the top court at four women to five men. Trudeau's two-year-old Liberal government has made promoting gender equality in Cabinet and other institutions a major part of its mandate.
Born and raised in Montreal, Martin practiced criminal and constitutional litigation in Calgary from 1996 to 2005 and was appointed to Alberta's top court in 2005.
She was appointed to the court of appeals of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut last year and has also served as a deputy judge for the Supreme Court of Yukon since 2009.
Some had called for Trudeau to appoint an indigenous judge to fill the spot on Canada's top court as the government aims to repair its relationship with First Nations communities.
Trudeau is expected to announce the appointment of the next chief justice by mid-December.
Supreme Court justices serve until they retire or reach age 75. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
