THE COMPOSITION OF THE COURT OF APPEAL OF QUEBEC

The Court of Appeal sits both in Quebec City and in Montreal, with judges residing in each city. The composition of the Court is as follows:

a) The Chief Justice
The Court of Appeal is headed by Chief Justice Nicole Duval Hesler, the twentieth Chief Justice of the Court. Since 1908, the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal also holds the title of Chief Justice of Quebec.

b) The judges
At its inception in 1849, the Court was composed of four judges. This number was increased to five in 1857, to six in 1881, to twelve in 1920, to fifteen in 1970, to sixteen in 1977, to nineteen in 1989 and finally to twenty in 1991.

c) The supernumerary judges
In 1972, the Judges Act was amended to create this option. It was only in 1980 that a judge opted for this status.

d) The judges ad hoc
In order to ensure the proper dispatch of business of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice may ask the Chief Justice of the Superior Court to designate one or more judges of that court to sit in the Court of Appeal on an ad hoc basis (that is, temporarily, for a fixed term). A judge ad hoc has all the powers and responsibilities of a judge of the Court of Appeal.

Generally, a bench of the Court of Appeal is composed of three judges. Exceptionally, the bench may be composed of five judges.