Justice James A. Hunter has been appointed chief justice of the Alberta Court of Justice
The chief justice’s role in the Alberta Court of Justice is to manage the court in the public’s interest while ensuring the efficient administration of justice. The individual is recommended for appointment by the minister of justice from a list of qualified candidates provided by the chief justice selection panel.
Chief Justice Hunter is appointed for a seven-year term. He takes over from outgoing Chief Justice Derek G. Redman, who will continue to sit as a justice in southern Alberta.
Justice Hunter graduated from the University of Alberta Law School in 1988 and became a partner at Grant, Alton, and Hunter in Stettler. He started his own practice in 2001, where he worked until his appointment to the Alberta Court of Justice in 2009. In 2014, Justice Hunter was named assistant chief justice before he was assigned to oversee the Justice of the Peace Program in 2021. Some of Justice Hunter’s responsibilities in this role included working to help secure judicial appointments, addressing concerns raised by justices and improving the effectiveness of the courts.
Quick fact
In April 2023, the Provincial Court of Alberta was renamed the Alberta Court of Justice to describe better the relationship between the court and those seeking justice.
