A former Associate Chief Judge of the provincial Family Court who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) is retiring, effective today (Aug. 13).

The Hon. Justice S. Raymond Morse was first appointed to the Family Court in April 2011. He served as the Associate Chief Judge of the Family Court from 2015 until his appointment to the Supreme Court (Family Division) in March 2020.

“Family court judges make decisions every day that immediately and significantly impact families. By no means is it easy work,” said The Hon. Deborah K. Smith, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. “Family law is one of the most important areas of law that the Supreme Court deals with. These matters require patience, compassion, and a breadth of legal knowledge unlike most other courts. In his short time on our Bench,

Justice Morse has demonstrated his innate ability to manage these difficult cases. We are sorry to see him go but we wish him many happy years in retirement.”

Justice S. Raymond Morse was born in Sydney, N.S. He attended Dalhousie University, graduating with a BA in 1974 and his LL.B. from Dalhousie Law School in 1977.

He was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1978 and received his Queen’s Counsel designation in 1999. As a lawyer, Justice Morse specialized in the areas of insurance, personal injury and child protection. He was active in the Canadian Bar Association – Nova Scotia Branch, chairing its civil litigation section and participating in several other CBA-NS committees.

With the retirement of Justice Morse, there are now 39 full-time and nine supernumerary judges on the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Where Justice Morse was a full-time judge, his departure creates a new vacancy on the Supreme Court (Family Division).