Joseph Phillip Kennedy

Who is Joseph Phillip Kennedy?

Joseph Phillip Kennedy is the Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

He was previously a judge of the Provincial Court from 1978 to 1993 at which point he was appointed Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia. He served as the Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1996 to 1998, and finally was elevated to Chief Justice in 1998.

Joseph Kennedy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1965. He attended Dalhousie Law School and was called to the bar on January 3, 1969. He practised privately from 1969 to 1978 in the Bridgewater firm of Kenney, Theakson, Kennedy & Allen.

He was appointed on the recommendation of a recruitment committee, which considered applications from current Provincial Court judges. The committee consists of the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, the Chief Judge of the Family Court, the outgoing Chief Judge of the Provincial Court, the president of the Provincial Judges' Association, and a lay person designated by the Canadian Minister of Justice.