The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society congratulates Justice Scott Morishita on his appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Before his appointment, Justice Morishita practiced law for over 17 years as a civil litigator, representing individuals, insurance companies, and local governments. Over the course of his career, Justice Morishita contributed greatly to British Columbia’s legal and greater community, volunteering his time to many organizations, including FACL BC. He was a President of the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia (B.C.) Branch (“CBABC”), and one of the first to be racialized and a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. He was also recently 1 of 4 individuals appointed by the Law Society of British Columbia to the Transitional Board of Legal Professions BC, chosen out of approximately 12,000 lawyers in the province for his strong and diverse legal expertise, depth of knowledge of the new Legal Professions Act, the events leading up to its creation, and proven experience in governance. 

Justice Morishita has greatly championed our organization and has been one of our most vocal supporters over the years. As an active member of FACL BC, Justice Morishita has spoken at and been featured in a number of our past events, including at our inaugural Membership Retreat in Whistler, BC, “Resiliency in a Tough Economy: What to Do When You’re Not Hired Back or Let Go”, and most recently, the “Leading with Pride: 2SLGBTQIA+ Mixer”. We are heartened to see him join British Columbia’s judiciary.

FACL BC applauds the appointment of Justice Morishita to the bench. A judiciary that reflects our province’s diversity and promotes access to justice is well-positioned to meet the needs of our community and aligns with FACL BC’s mandate of promoting equity, justice and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the wider community. We look forward to Justice Morishita’s continued contributions to the legal profession.

Correction: This Statement initially incorrectly described Justice Morishita as the first President of CBABC to be a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We have been advised that James Bond was the first member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to serve as President of CBABC from 2008-2009 and have corrected this Statement accordingly. We believe in highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of members of all marginalized communities, not just our own, and will work diligently to ensure we continue to do so in the future.