Supreme Court Administration in Canada

Answering directly to the Chief Justice, the Registrar is responsible for all administrative work in the Court and exercises the quasi-judicial powers conferred by the Rules of the Court. This responsibility includes the appointment and supervision of Court staff, the management of the Library and the Registry, and the publication of the Canada Supreme Court Reports. The Registrar and the Deputy Registrar are appointed by the Governor in Council. The Supreme Court’s staff comprises close to 200 employees, all of them members of the federal public service.

Each judge of the Court has three law clerks, usually recent law school graduates, who provide him or her with research assistance. Their one-year term is regarded as meeting in whole or in part the articling requirements set by the various provincial law societies as a condition for admission to the practice of law. A judicial assistant and a court attendant for each judge ensure the efficient management of his or her office. An Executive Legal Officer, whose responsibilities include media relations, and a Legal Officer are attached to the office of the Chief Justice.

Legal and case management support functions are provided by the Court Operations Sector. This sector includes the Registry Branch, which is responsible for case management and hearings, and the Law Branch, which is responsible for legal support to the Court, for editing and preparing summaries of reasons for judgment, and for the translation and publication of Court judgments. The sector also manages the Court’s public outreach tour programs, and is responsible for the Registrar’s correspondence and the Supreme Court’s website.

Administrative and operational support to the judges and Court staff is provided by the Corporate Services Sector, which is responsible for security, accommodation, financial management, procurement, human resources management, administration, telecommunications and strategic planning. The Executive Services Branch is responsible for management support for the judges’ chambers, including the Chief Justice’s Chambers, as well as for the judges’ dining room, the Law Clerk Program and visits by dignitaries.

Information management in support of the judicial functions of the Court is provided by the Library and Information Services Sector.

The Registry

For information on Registrars, please see here.

The Registry plays a pivotal role in the functioning of the Court. It is the hub of all procedural and documentary activities at the Court. The Registry processes, records and directs the flow of all documents filed by the parties, and records all events which take place during the life of a case. This information is available to the public at the Court and on its website. The Registry also provides assistance in scheduling the Court’s hearings and support during the sittings, and finalizes the documentation for cases after judgments have been rendered.

Case Hearings

In the period 2011-2012, the Fall Session of the Supreme Court of Canada commences on October 11, 2011; the Winter Session on January 9, 2012 and; the Spring Session on April 10, 2012.

Hearings normally commence at 9:30 a.m.; however, the Court may start at 9:00 a.m. without prior public notice. Where two cases are scheduled on a given day, the second case may be heard either immediately after the first one or at 2:00 p.m.

The Library

With approximately 300,000 volumes, the Library of the Supreme Court of Canada provides the research base for the Court in its role of deciding questions of public importance. The Library’s extensive collection comprises statutes, law reports, periodicals and treatises from major common and civil law jurisdictions, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Belgium. Its print, microform and electronic holdings are supplemented by access to a vast range of electronic networks and databases. Its collection is also enriched by a valuable collection of rare books printed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries that pertain to the common law of England and the civil law of France. In addition to serving the Supreme Court itself, the Library provides services to lawyers appearing before the Court, to the Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, to members of the Bar, faculty and students-at-law, and by special permission, to legal researchers.

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This entry was last updated: May 20, 2018