Jenkins to retire as chief justice of Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island's chief justice has announced that he is retiring this fall.

David H. Jenkins has held the top position on P.E.I.'s Court of Appeal since January 2008, when he was named to the job by then-prime minister Stephen Harper.

He assumed the position left vacant with the retirement of Gerard Mitchell the previous year.

Before that, Jenkins sat as a justice of the Prince Edward Island Supreme Court's Trial Division for 14 years.

A news release issued Tuesday said Chief Justice Jenkins will retire effective Oct. 31.

As chief justice of the province, Jenkins presides over the Court of Appeal and also fills in for the lieutenant governor when she must be absent.

In Canada, justices at the provincial and territorial superior court level are appointed at the federal level after a committee reviews candidates for openings in each region and decides whether they are recommended or not recommended for consideration.

Vacancies at the provincial court level are filled through a province-led process.

Before he was appointed to the bench, Jenkins was a lawyer with Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales.

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