J. Michael MacDonald

Early life and education Raised in the Whitney Pier neighbourhood of Sydney, Nova Scotia, MacDonald received a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in 1976 and then graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1979. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Cape Breton University in 2018.

In 1995, MacDonald was appointed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and was elevated to Associate Chief Justice in 1998. He became the 22nd Chief Justice of Nova Scotia and the Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal on December 31, 2004, replacing Constance Glube. The Honourable J. Michael MacDonald retired as Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, effective January 31, 2019.

On July 23, 2020, it was announced by Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey and federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair that MacDonald would serve on a 3-person Independent Review Panel concerning the RCMP response to the mass shooting that occurred in Nova Scotia on April 18 and 19, 2020. Families of the 22 victims killed during the shooting reacted to the announcement with disappointment, as they had been calling for a full public inquiry.

In 2024, MacDonald was made a Member of the Order of Nova Scotia. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2025.