The Honourable John Norris

Credit: Balfour

Justice John Norris was appointed to the Federal Court in 2018. Prior to his appointment, he maintained a trial and appellate practice in the areas of criminal, constitutional and national security law. He appeared as amicus curiae in several national security matters before the Federal Courts. He also acted regularly on interventions by public interest groups in appeals before the Supreme Court of Canada. He was a member of the roster of Special Advocates for security certificate proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from 2008 until 2018.

From 1996 until 2018 Justice Norris was an adjunct member of the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, where he taught Advanced Criminal Law, Evidence Law, Advanced Evidence, Constitutional Law, National Security Law and Legal Ethics. He has also taught in the part-time LL.M. Program in Criminal Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Justice Norris is a frequent contributor to continuing legal education programs, the author of several scholarly articles, and was an Assistant Editor of the Canadian Rights Reporter for many years. He has been a Director of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, a Senior Associate with the Global Counter-terrorism Law and Policy Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, a member of the Advisory Group for the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights and a member of the Board of Directors of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.

Justice Norris received a B.A. (Honours) in Philosophy from Carleton University and an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. He received his LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1991 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993. In 2011, he received the Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility from The Advocates' Society.