Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment to the Federal Court

OTTAWA, ON, April 6, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Lobat Sadrehashemi, Senior Counsel and Clinic Lead at the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Federal Court. Madam Justice Sadrehashemi replaces Mr. Justice K.M. Boswell, who retired effective January 29, 2021.

Quote

"I wish Justice Sadrehashemi every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve Canadians well as a member of the Federal Court."

—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Lobat Sadrehashemi grew up in Alberta after immigrating from Iran with her parents and two older sisters when she was sixteen months old. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in international relations before earning her law and Master of Social Work degrees from the combined JD/MSW program at the University of Toronto in 2005. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 2006.

Madam Justice Sadrehashemi was senior counsel and the clinic lead at B.C.'s Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic since its establishment in 2020. The clinic provides legal representation for low-income people with complex immigration and refugee legal matters. Her years of private practice were focused on refugee and immigration litigation, a significant portion of which included legal aid files. She has appeared at all levels of the federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and the various divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board. She also worked for several years as staff lawyer at Pivot Legal Society, a legal non-profit in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and as staff lawyer at the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre, working on systemic human rights and regulatory law issues facing low-income people.

From 2017 to 2019, Justice Sadrehashemi was the president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. In 2009-2010, she was chair of the refugee law subsection of the CBA, B.C. branch. She was also a member of the legal committee of West Coast LEAF. She has written and presented frequently on issues related to immigration and refugee law, access to justice, child protection, and human rights.

Justice Sadrehashemi and her partner are raising an eight-year-old aspiring artist.  

Quick Facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 450 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
• The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
• Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

For more information, media may contact: Rachel Rappaport, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]