Judge Denis Lordon Retires

A legal career that spanned more than 45 years is over. Judge Denis Lordon heard his last case this week, and a commissioned portrait was unveiled at his retirement party on Thursday

Judge Denis Lordon heard his last case on Thursday, and got a fine retirement send off by courthouse staff, family and friends. Clerk of the Court, Matthew Cripps, said Lordon urged him not to make a big deal about it, but Cripps said some of the staff softened Lordon up and he agreed to the presentation format that was held on July 13th.  In attendance were members of Lordon’s family, court staff past and present, retired Justice Thomas Riordon, past colleagues and friends.

Mr. Justice Fred Ferguson introduced Lordon and said he first encountered Lordon as a defence lawyer in 1976 when Ferguson began in Miramichi as a prosecutor.

“He was not the easiest guy to deal with on the other side of a case.  If you think he is abrupt as a judge, you have no idea what he was like as a lawyer,” Fergusson said and the audience on hand laughed in agreement.

Ferguson said Lordon was part of a pack of lawyers that included Frank McKenna that regularly beat up on the crown lawyers of the day.  Ferguson said he was the 13th lawyer to take the crown prosecutor’s job in Miramichi in 13 years (a bad sign he admitted) and remembered losing 9 cases in a row to Lordon and his cohorts.  He described Lordon as a tireless worker for his clients and his reputation spread across the province, and their status was cemented with the successful defence of Yvon Durelle in 1977. (link)

Ferguson said Lordon explained his tenacity to him as a game, and that he was going to fight as hard as he could for every client.  Ferguson relayed some stories about he and Lordon sitting across the table from one another during trials, urging the other to sit down before judge Tracy-Gould, who was legendary for his lack of patience, would take sanctions against them.

Lordon became a judge in 1992, and Ferguson said Lordon was very successful judge for 25 years and was only overturned once when Lordon ruled in 2000 that a man from Eel Ground had no native rights to harvest wood (link).  The case was overturned by the NB Court of Appeal, and reviewed by Supreme Court that restored the conviction in 2005.

Ferguson wished Lordon a long and healthy retirement in Kelowna (where he and his wife are moving), and said it was a privilege to be a colleague and friend.

Before Lordon addressed the gathering, a portrait of him was unveiled in Courtroom #2 by his daughter Cheryl and her sons.  The portrait was created by Dalhousie artist Jessie Babin

Lordon thanked Matthew Cripps for the effort put into the ceremony, but said it was obvious he has trouble following instructions (snickers).  Lordon said it was tremendous surprise that so many people gathered for the farewell.  “I see a lot of people who were here at the start of this, and I am so glad to see them here at the end of it as well, “ he said.

“There are a lot of people I had an occasion to meet and work with,” Lordon said, and went on to thank the various staff at the Miramichi courthouse that he said was an example of the best staff in the province.  He named the women who work in the provincial court office by name, Jennifer, Nicole, Heather and Mary Ellen, saying they had been a tremendous help to him over the years.  He also thanked Ferguson and Justice Jack Walsh for their help over the years, assisting him in research when needed. (earlier version of this story we mistakenly omitted Heather.  Sorry)

“I don’t have much more to say.  I don’t have a lot of regrets about leaving.  I have been at this for over 45 years, I confess to being somewhat tired of it and I am glad to be moving on.  Cathy and I bought a place in BC and I am going to go out and start slumming with those old BC salmon, instead of the notorious fighting Atlantic salmon, and we’ll see what happens.  Thank you all for coming, and I hope to see you all again when I come back next summer after I tire of those BC salmon.”