A central Alberta judge and former Stettler mayor has been named Alberta’s Chief Justice.
Jim Hunter has been appointed for a seven-year term effective Sept. 1. He takes over from outgoing Chief Justice Derek Redman, who will continue to sit as a justice in southern Alberta.
The chief justice’s role in the Alberta Court of Justice is to manage the court in the interest of the public 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.
“Congratulations to Chief Justice Hunter on his appointment,” says Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery in a statement. “His experience has served Albertans well. I am confident that Chief Justice Hunter will be a strong leader for the courts.”
Hunter graduated from the University of Alberta law school in 1988 and became a partner at the firm of Grant, Alton, Hunter in Stettler. He started his own practice in 2001, where he worked until his appointment to the Alberta Court of Justice in 2009.
He also served as a town councillor for three terms before being elected mayor in 2004, serving until 2009.
In 2014, Hunter was named assistant chief justice before he was assigned to oversee the Justice of the Peace Program in 2021. Some of 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.