By Justice and Public Safety, New Brunswick
Matthew Cripps has been appointed as a sitting provincial court judge in Miramichi, Justice Minister Hugh J. Flemming announced today.
“Mr. Cripps has been playing a role in the New Brunswick legal community for 30 years,” said Flemming. “We are fortunate to add someone with his experience to the judiciary.”
Cripps graduated from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) with a bachelor of business administration (1988) and a bachelor of laws (1991). He was called to the bar in 1992 and was appointed King’s counsel in 2022. He is a longtime employee of the Department of Justice and Public Safety, most recently as a hearing officer with the Court of King’s Bench.
The Miramichi native volunteers as a judge with the UNB moot court program and as a member of the Law Society’s bar admission course committee. He has also been involved in his community, coaching a variety of youth sports teams, and is a former director of the Rotary Club and Miramichi Big Brothers Big Sisters.
At the request of the chief judge, Judge Scott Brittain – who is currently sitting in Miramichi – will be transferred to Fredericton to address the pressures there.
Flemming said the appointment addresses capacity issues created by the retirements of two supernumerary judges. The provincial court normally operates with a chief judge, an associate chief judge and about 24 full-time judges. There are currently 23 full-time judges (including the chief judge) in addition to several supernumerary and per diem judges.
All applications for appointment to the provincial court are assessed by the provincial judicial appointment review advisors who represent the bench, the bar and the general public. The advisors consider the professional and other qualifications of each candidate in carrying out their assessments. The appointment process also includes interviews by a committee composed of the chief justice of New Brunswick, the chief judge and the associate chief judge of the provincial court, one of the provincial judicial appointment review advisors representing the general public and a senior member of the bar.
