Remembering: Chief Justice Ritu Khullar

The Faculty of Law was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our colleague, friend and mentor Chief Justice Ritu Khullar, KC.

Chief Justice Khullar had a distinguished and inspirational career. She was a prominent labour, human rights, administrative and constitutional lawyer before being appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 2017 and the Court of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut the following year.

When she was named Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal in 2022, she became the first woman of South Asian descent to hold this position in Canada, and the second woman to lead Alberta’s highest court.

Over the years, Chief Justice Khullar generously offered us her time and expertise. We welcomed her as both a sessional instructor and a guest lecturer, as well as a keynote speaker at orientation events where she shared her wisdom with students as they took their first steps toward a career in law.

The Faculty of Law community offers its sincere condolences to Chief Justice Khullar’s family and friends. She will be greatly missed.

Gifts can be made to The Chief Justice of Alberta, Ritu Khullar Memorial Fund here.