Trudeau to name new Supreme Court judge to replace retiring McLachlin - Action News
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Trudeau to name new Supreme Court judge to replace retiring McLachlin

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is poised to appoint a new judge to the Supreme Court of Canada.

PM has been under pressure to appoint the first Indigenous judge to country's top court

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin in 2015. McLachlin is retiring next month. (Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is poised to appoint a new judge to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The new addition is expected to be named Wednesday morning, ensuring that the nine-member bench remains at full strength after Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin retires on Dec. 15.

Insiders say the announcement will not include naming a new chief justice.

Trudeau has been under pressure to appoint the first Indigenous judge to the country's top court.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould wouldn't say Tuesday whether that will occur but she noted that the government sought applications from judges in western and northern Canada.

Last year, the Liberal government brought in a new Supreme Court appointment process to encourage more openness, transparency and diversity, which also requires high court justices to be functionally bilingual.