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Nicholas Devlin (born September 30, 1971) is a Canadian jurist and former federal prosecutor. He is currently a Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.

Early life and education

Devlin was born on September 30, 1971 in Calgary, Alberta.

He attended the University of Calgary where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies in 1993 and his Bachelor of Law, graduating as his class’s gold medalist in 1996. He went on to complete his Master of Law in 1998 at the University of Toronto where he wrote his thesis on the Charter of Freedom and Rights and freedom of the press.

Career

Public Prosecution Service of Canada

After university, Devlin clerked for Justice Jack Major of the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the Ontario bar in 1999. He then worked at the litigation department of Torys for one year before spending time as a Fox Scholar at Middle Temple in London.

From 2001 till his appointment as a judge, Devlin served as a federal prosecutor and Senior General Counsel with Public Prosecution Service of Canada, during which he regularly appeared on behalf of the crown in front of the Supreme Court of Canada. There he argued prominent cases like R v. Topp, Mills v. R, and R v. Taylor.

Devlin was also the prosecutor on a prominent appeal in front of the Nunavut Court of Appeal involving Catholic priest Eric Dejaeger in a sexual abuse case.

Devlin served as adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School from 2013 to 2017. He has taught trial advocacy techniques and cross examination methods.

Judicial Career

On May 22, 2019, David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced Devlin’s appointment as a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

In 2021, Devlin ruled that no jurors will be allowed to serve in an upcoming sexual assault trial unless they confirm they have been vaccinated for Covid-19, which sparked controversy.

In 2024, Devlin was the judge that overlooked the defamation suit initiated by Quebec based DJ SNAILS, where he awarded the plaintiff $1.5 million in damages.

References

1. ^ "PROFILE ON THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE NICHOLAS DEVLIN". Alberta Courts. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
2. ^ "Alumnus appointed to Court of Queen's Bench". University of Calgary. 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
3. Devlin, Nick (1998). "Ink and liberty: newspaper ownership concentration and freedom of the press under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms". Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, . ISBN 9780612341555. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
4. ^ "Government of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Alberta". Government of Canada. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
5. "Her Majesty the Queen v. John Phillip Topp". CPAC. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
6. "Sean Patrick Mills v. Her Majesty the Queen". CPAC. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
7. "Her Majesty the Queen v. Jamie Kenneth Taylor". CPAC. 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
8. Brown, Beth (2018-09-26). "Pedophile ex-priest still guilty, Nunavut appeal court rules". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
9. "Protecting the right to 'expeditious justice' requires screening for unvaccinated jurors". Canadian Lawyer Magazine. 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
10. "Montreal-based musician awarded $1.5M in Alberta defamation lawsuit". CBC. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
11. "'You don't get to hide': Alberta court finds California woman guilty of defamation against Canadian DJ". Edmonton. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-14.

• Judges in Alberta
• 1971 births
• Living people
• University of Calgary alumni
• University of Toronto alumni