A woman of Nigerian lineage, Dr Chidinma Thompson, has been appointed as the first black Justice of The Kings Court Of the Bench In Canada.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Saturday confirmed Dr Chidinma’s appointment.

The post said Dr Chidinma became the first black judge on Friday.

The post reads: “Yesterday, February 16, 2024, in Calgary, Canada, Nigeria made history again. Our own Dr. Mrs. Chidinma Thompson (@CbThompsonyyc ), a Nigerian born Canadian, became the first black Honorable Justice of the Kings Court of the Bench Canada.”

Last October, there was news about how Chidinma was sworn in as a Judge by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani.

Thompson, a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Calgary, was appointed a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary to replace Justice C.M. Jones (Calgary), who was elected to become a supernumerary judge effective November 11, 2022.

Appointed along with Justice Thompson include Honourable Alice Woolley, a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Alberta in Calgary; Honourable Kevin Feth, a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Alberta in Edmonton; Ayla Akgungor, Partner at Field LLP in Edmonton, appointed a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in Edmonton; Jonathan Martin, Chief Federal Prosecutor at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Edmonton, appointed a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in Edmonton; and Darren Reed, Partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in Calgary, appointed a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary.