Five New Provincial Court Judges Named

Friday, September 24, 2010 05:06 PM

Victoria, B.C. - Five new judges have been appointed to the British Columbia Provincial Court, Attorney General Michael de Jong, QC, announced today.

The office of the chief judge has confirmed these appointees have been assigned to the following districts: Sheri Ann Mark has been appointed to the Kamloops district, Roy Couper Dickey will serve in South Fraser, Steven Myles Merrick in Coast district, James Parker MacCarthy, QC, on North Vancouver Island and Supreme Court master Marguerite Elizabeth Shaw in the Okanagan.

"The appointment and assignments of these judges will ensure the timely management of court cases," said de Jong. "All of the judges appointed today have extensive legal experience and I'm confident their leadership will serve the public well."

The process to appoint judges involves several steps. Interested lawyers (typically with at least 10 years experience) apply and the B.C. Judicial Council, a committee made up of the chief judge, other judges, lawyers and lay people, then reviews the candidates.

A shortage of Provincial Court Judges has been blamed for unacceptable delays in having some cases come to trial, the result being some charges have been stayed.

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