Cromwell, Thomas (1952-…), was a puisne (associate) justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2009 to 2016. Prime Minister Stephen Harper selected him for the court. Prior to his appointment, Cromwell served as a judge on the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, the province’s highest court.
Thomas Albert Cromwell was born on May 5, 1952, in Kingston, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1976, both from Queen’s University in Kingston. Cromwell also earned postgraduate degrees in music and law from the Royal Conservatory of Music, in Toronto, and from Oxford University, in England, respectively. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario—that is, the body of lawyers licensed to practice law in Ontario—in 1979, and to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1984.
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Cromwell worked as a lawyer in private practice and served as an arbitrator (person chosen to settle a dispute) in labor tribunals—that is, special panels that settle disputes between workers and employers. He also taught law courses at Queen’s University and at Dalhousie University’s law school in Halifax, Nova Scotia. From 1992 to 1995, Cromwell served as executive legal officer in the chambers of the chief justice of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed him to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal in 1997. Cromwell also served as a commissioner on the Nova Scotia Law Reform Commission from 2002 to 2007. Cromwell was appointed to the Supreme Court in December 2008 and was sworn in in January 2009. He retired in September 2016, 11 years before he was required to do so. Supreme Court judges must retire at the age of 75.
See also Supreme Court of Canada .
