Judicial Council

Mandate:

• to make recommendations to the Minister respecting appointments of judges and justices;
• subject to Part 5 of the Act, to deal with complaints respecting judges and justices;
• to make recommendations to the Minister and the chief judge on any matters that it considers necessary respecting the efficiency, uniformity, or quality of judicial services;
• to report to the Minister and the chief judge respecting proposals for improving the judicial services of the court or on any other matters that may be referred to it by the Minister;
• after consulting with the chief judge and the Minister, to consider and recommend any judicial training that in its opinion may reasonably be necessary;
• to serve in an educational capacity, in any manner it sees fit;
• for the better consideration of justice issues of concern to the community, to establish working committees to consider reform and improvements in the areas of family and young offenders matters and criminal, and civil laws, and to make recommendations on these areas to the council. The membership of these committees shall be in the discretion of the council, but the council shall attempt to include representatives of all interested groups on these committees;
• at the request of the supervising judge, to consider whether a change of residence or occupation of a justice merits the dismissal of the justice;
• at the request of the supervising judge, to assess whether or not justices have satisfactorily completed training opportunities offered by the court or whether or not justices have engaged in behaviour inconsistent with the due administration of justice and, if it considers advisable, to refer its concerns about a justice to a tribunal; and
• to perform any other duties that it may be requested to perform by the Minister or the chief judge.
• Authority: Territorial Court Act, section 30
• Type: advisory
• Appointment process: Order-In-Council
• Requirements: No legislated criteria required to join.
• Term: Not exceeding 3 years. May be nominated for further terms.
• Meetings: approximately 4 times per year
• Department: Justice
• Honoraria: $125 per day