Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has nominated the first person of color to Canada’s Supreme Court.
Trudeau made the announcement through Twitter of this “historic nomination” on Thursday. In its 146-year existence, the country’s top court has only ever had white justices, but with the most recent appointment of Kenyan-born Mahmud Jamal, it seems it’s one step closer to change.
Although this is a formality, Jamal must still be vetted by the House of Commons Justice Committee.
In an announcement issued by Trudeau through Twitter, he said “He’ll be a valuable asset to the Supreme Court – and that’s why, today, I’m announcing his historic nomination to our country’s highest court.”
Mahmud Jamal has been a judge for Ontario’s Court of Appeal since 2019. Prior to that, he worked for decades as a litigator and taught at two of Canada’s top law schools.
