Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown retires, ending judicial review

Justice Russell Brown has decided to retire from the Supreme Court of Canada, effective immediately. With his decision to leave Canada's top court, a judicial review into Brown's alleged misconduct related to events in Arizona earlier this year has been halted.

Justice Russell Brown has decided to retire from the Supreme Court of Canada, effective immediately.

With his decision to leave Canada's top court, a judicial review into Brown's alleged misconduct related to events in Arizona earlier this year has been halted.

According to the Canadian Judicial Council, which had been reviewing the complaint, because he is no longer a Supreme Court justice, "the Council’s jurisdiction over the complaint against him has ended."

"As such, proceedings before the Council that involve Justice Brown have come to an end," reads a statement from the body responsible for investigating complaints made against federally appointed judges.

Chief Justice Richard Wagner was informed of Brown's decision on Monday, according to a Supreme Court statement.

Brown, who was appointed to the court by then-prime minister Stephen Harper in 2015, had been absent from the bench since February.

His absence was pending the outcome of a probe stemming from allegations, as The Canadian Press has reported, that Brown was intoxicated and harassed a group at a Scottsdale hotel bar following an event celebrating another judge. Justice Brown has strenuously denied the allegations.