Faculty of Law congratulates The Hon. Ritu Khullar on her appointment as new Chief Justice of Alberta

Photo credit: Court of Appeal of Alberta

The recent announcement of The Hon. Ritu Khullar as the new Chief Justice of Alberta is being celebrated by the Faculty of Law community.

"The Faculty of Law is pleased to congratulate Justice Khullar on her appointment as Chief Justice,” says Dean Barbara Billingsley. “For many years, we have benefited from Justice Khullar's generous offerings of her time and expertise as a sessional instructor and a guest lecturer and we are excited to continue to work with her in this new role."

“I was thrilled to learn of Justice Ritu Khullar's appointment as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal,” says Professor Eric Adams. “I first met Chief Justice Khullar during her time on the board of the Centre for Constitutional Studies at the University of Alberta. I admired her then as a lawyer of obvious integrity, intelligence, common sense, and deep compassion. It is those same qualities that have marked her successful career as a first-rate jurist. The province's legal community and citizens will be well served by her leadership.”

With the announcement made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 28, Khullar became head of the province’s highest court. The Alberta Court of Appeal hears criminal and civil appeals from trial courts, boards and tribunals across the province. She also became the Chief Justice of the Courts of Appeal of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

“The opportunity to serve the people of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in this way is an enormous privilege and responsibility to which I am wholly committed,” Khullar said in a statement.

Khullar, who grew up in Morinville and earned a BA (Hons) in political science from the University of Alberta in 1985, had a lengthy career in private practice before her first judiciary appointment. During this time, she served three years (1996-99) as the Belzberg Lecturer in Constitutional Law in the Faculty. She then spent a decade (2001-11) as a sessional instructor for the Labour Arbitration course and returned in 2016 to teach Advanced Administrative Law.

Khullar was appointed to the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta in 2017 and was elevated to the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in 2018.

In her new role, she replaces The Hon. Catherine A. Fraser (‘70 LLB), the first woman appointed chief justice of a province in Canada, who retired earlier this year.

“The legacy of the judiciary in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut is deep and strong,” Khullar said. “I recognize the importance of this office, and I look forward to working with my judicial colleagues to continue to serve the interests of justice and all people in these communities.”