The Honourable James W. Gormley was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island in 2017. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at Stewart McKelvey, where his main areas of practice were criminal law, administrative law, and health law.
Chief Justice Gormley has served in a variety of professional and community volunteer roles. He was President of the PEI Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, President of the University of PEI Alumni Association, President of the Canadian Bar Insurance Association, Chair of the Board of Governors of JA Prince Edward Island, and Chair of the Professional Section of the United Way of PEI. The Canadian Bar Association of PEI presented him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2016.
Chief Justice Gormley was born and raised in the village of Murray River, Prince Edward Island. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Prince Edward Island, followed by an LL.B. from Dalhousie University, where he worked in the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic.