The Hon. Catherine Anne Fraser was appointed as Chief Justice of Alberta and Chief Justice of Northwest Territories in 1992. She was named as the Chief Justice of the Nunavut Court of Appeal on March 24, 1999.
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She was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick on August 4, 1947, and moved to Edmonton in 1958. A graduate of the University of Alberta, she received Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1969 and 1970 respectively. She received the George Bligh O'Connor Silver Medal in Law, awarded to the law student graduating with the second highest GPA over the three year program. She also has a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Fraser practised law with the firm of Lucas, Bishop and Fraser, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1983. She taught women and the law courses at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law
First appointed to the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta in 1989 and subsequently to the Court of Appeal of Alberta in 1991, she became the first woman appointed Chief Justice of Alberta on March 12, 1992.
Fraser has also served on the Canadian Institute on the Administration of Justice, as chair of the Education Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council and as a member of the Council's Special Committee on Equality in the Courts.[1]
She was recognized with a YWCA Tribute to Women Award. In 1996 she received the University of Alberta Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award.[2] On May 10, 2007, she received an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary.[3]
| Order of precedence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alison Redford, Premier of Alberta |
Order of precedence in Alberta as of 2011[update] |
Succeeded by Norman Kwong, Former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta |