Karakatsanis, Andromache << kah rah kaht SAHN ihs, an DRAH muh kee >> (1955-…), became a puisne (associate) justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 2011. She was the first Greek Canadian ever appointed to the court. Prior to her appointment, Karakatsanis had served on the Ontario Court of Appeal, Ontario’s highest court of law.
Karakatsanis was born in Toronto, Ontario, on Oct. 3, 1955. Her parents were Greek immigrants. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from the University of Toronto. In 1980, she received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, part of York University, in Toronto. Karakatsanis was called to the Bar of Ontario (the body of lawyers licensed to practice law in the province) in 1982.
In 1982 and 1983, Karakatsanis worked as a law clerk for the chief justice of Ontario, the top judge of Ontario’s Court of Appeal. From 1983 to 1987, she was a partner at a private law firm in Toronto. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Karakatsanis held a number of public offices. Such offices included chair and chief executive officer of the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario and secretary of the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat. She was deputy attorney general of Ontario from 1997 to 2000. From 2000 to 2002, she served as secretary of the cabinet and clerk of the Executive Council. The Executive Council is the official name of Ontario’s cabinet.
Karakatsanis was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2002 under the government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In 2010, she was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario under the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. During her career, Karakatsanis has specialized in administrative-law education and reform. Administrative law deals with the operations of government agencies.
Harper appointed Karakatsanis to the Supreme Court of Canada in October 2011.
