The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a
superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
*Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lake ...
trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...
in the
Province of Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...
, in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the
Quebec Court of Appeal.
Jurisdiction
The Superior Court of Quebec is the court of original general jurisdiction, which hears all cases not expressly assigned to another court or administrative body. It possesses both criminal and civil jurisdiction. It also hears certain appeals in criminal and penal matters. Moreover, it also possesses exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine class actions and applications for injunctive relief.
Furthermore, the Superior Court is vested exclusive jurisdiction of judicial review over all lower courts in Quebec, over legal persons established in the public interest or for a private interest, and over partnerships and associations and other groups not endowed with juridical personality.
All criminal matters that are tried by jury must be tried by the Superior Court.
Judges
The Superior Court is composed of 157 justices, including a Chief Justice, a Senior Associate Chief Justice, and an Associate Chief Justice. It can also have a maximum of 111 supernumerary judges.
Chief Justices
Chief Justices (term):
artial listing*
Edward Bowen (1849–1866)
* Sir
William Collis Meredith (1866–1884)
* Sir
Andrew Stuart (1885–1889)
* Sir
Francis Godschall Johnson (1889–1894)
* Sir
Louis-Napoléon Casault
Sir Louis-Napoléon Casault (July 10, 1823 – May 18, 1908) was a Quebec lawyer, judge, professor and political figure. He represented Bellechasse in the 1st Canadian Parliament from 1867 to 1870 as a Conservative member.
Biography
He was ...
(1894–1904)
* Sir
Adolphe-Basile Routhier (1904–1906)
* Sir
Melbourne McTaggart Tait
Sir Melbourne McTaggart Tait, (May 20, 1842 – February 19, 1917) was a Canadian lawyer and judge.
Born in Melbourne, Canada East, he studied at St Francis College and received a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from McGill University in 1862. H ...
* Sir
Charles Peers Davidson
Sir Charles Peers Davidson (January 1841 – January 29, 1929) was a Canadian lawyer and judge.
Born in Huntingdon, Lower Canada to Capt. Alexander Davidson and Marion Peers, Davidson was educated at McGill University where he received a B ...
(1912–1915)
* Sir
François-Xavier Lemieux (1915–?)
*
R.A.E. Greenshields (1929–1942)
*
Albert Sévigny (1942–1959)
*
Frédéric Dorion (1963–1973)
*
Jules Deschênes (1973–1983)
*
Alan B. Gold (1983–1992)
*
Lawrence A. Poitras (1992–1996)
*
Lyse Lemieux (1996–2004)
*
François Rolland (2004–2015)
*
Jacques R. Fournier (2015-2022)
*
Marie-Anne Paquette (since 2022)
Sources and notes
Superior Court of QuebecList of Superior Court Justices
{{Courts of Canada
Quebec courts
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
1849 establishments in Canada
Courts and tribunals established in 1849