Justice Brown, who has been absent from office since February 1 and was appointed to the Supreme Court in August 2015, has been suspended by the country’s highest court pending the outcome of an investigation by the Canadian Judiciary Council into his issue.
Now that Judge Brown has submitted his resignation, the Council has announced that the review of this case has closed as the judge is no longer in office.
Although my attorney and I believe the lawsuit would ultimately have been dismissed, this continued delay is of no concern to anyone: the court, the public, my family, or myself, the judge said in a statement .
“I have therefore decided that my retirement would better serve the public interest so that a substitute judge can join the court in time for his busy fall session,” he added.
“Since the allegations against me are false, I hoped that this case would be resolved quickly and would not have a significant impact on the court’s work. Unfortunately that was not the case. »
– A quote from Judge Russell Brown, according to the press release
The complaint related to an altercation between the judge and a guest during his stay at an upscale resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, in late January.
According to the information so far, Judge Brown and a guest of this resort, a former American soldier named John Crump, got into a fight.
According to Mr Crump’s report, Russell Brown, who was intoxicated, was said to have been belligerent and molested people accompanying him, a version the judge strongly disputes.
“Obvious abbreviations, inaccuracies and embellishments”
Accompanying Judge Brown’s testimony is a statement from his attorneys setting out the evidence they believe will clear the judge of these allegations.
They cite, in particular, the surveillance video showing all interactions between Judge Brown and the plaintiff’s companions, as well as the testimony of the hotel security officer, who went to the crime scene and spoke at length with Judge Brown.
So far no evidence has been published.
The evidence uncovered during the investigation showed that the plaintiff’s allegations contained glaring inconsistencies, inaccuracies and embellishments, the lawyers argue.
“We are confident that given all of this evidence, Judge Brown would have been fully persuaded [blanchi] at the end of the Canadian Judicial Council process. However, the impact of the proceedings on the court and the significant pressure placed on Judge Brown and his family led him to the decision to resign. »
– A quote from Brian Gover and Alexandra Heine, attorneys for Russell Brown
Russell Brown has always claimed it was the former Marine who inexplicably hit him on the head.
According to Judge Brown, John Crump falsely accused him of instigating the confrontation to avoid the consequences of the aggression he allegedly committed.
Judge Russell Brown resigns from Canada’s Supreme Court, pleading innocence. He was investigated by the Canadian Judicial Council on allegations of improper conduct. Interview with retired criminal defense attorney Jean-Claude Hébert.
A place that needs to be filled
In a statement, Chief Justice Richard Wagner said he took note of Justice Russell Brown’s decision to step down from his position as Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, effective immediately.
The Trudeau administration must find a replacement from western Canada to fill the seat vacated by Judge Brown.
Justice critic for the New Democratic Party, Randall Garrison, said Justice Brown made the right decision to step down and spare Canada’s Supreme Court further embarrassment.
“We hope the government will act quickly to fill the vacancy created by Judge Brown,” Garrison added.