The Honourable Julie L. Blackhawk

Justice Julie L. Blackhawk obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on political science and Indigenous studies from Lakehead University in 1995 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1998. She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1999 and the Ontario Bar in 2004.

Justice Blackhawk articled with the Legal Services Society, British Columbia’s legal aid services provider, in the poverty law clinic. She then worked for a small personal injury and child protection law firm in New Westminster, British Columbia. In 2000, she moved to the Department of Justice Canada where her practice has focused exclusively on s.35 Aboriginal law and Indigenous issues. She was a Member of the Motion Picture Appeal Board (British Columbia) and she co-instructed “Special Topics in Litigation – Aboriginal Law, Litigation, Procedure and Practice” at the University of British Columbia.

Justice Blackhawk was an active member of the Federal Court’s Indigenous Bar Association - Aboriginal Law Bar Liaison Committee and she contributed to the development of the Practice Guidelines for Aboriginal Law Proceedings, 2016. She regularly spoke on various topics related to s.35 Aboriginal law and Indigenous issues.

Justice Blackhawk is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Nation (Kenhtè:ke kanyen’kehá:ka) and she has strong ties to the Lac Seul First Nation (Obishikokaang) through her spouse, Carl Blackhawk and their two teenaged daughters, Kinew and Binesi.

Appointed Justice of the Federal Court, and ex officio member of the Federal Court of Appeal, on February 9, 2024.