2004 Fredericton Encaenia - Ceremony B
Cumming, Patricia L.
Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Orator: Patterson, Stephen E.
Citation:
ENCAENIA, CEREMONY B, 20 MAY 2004
PATRICIA L. CUMMING
to be Doctor of Laws
Encaenia 2004 should go down in the annuals of UNB as highly significant. For the first time in our long, proud tradition, the majority of the honorary degree recipients are women. And at this morning’s ceremony, we honour two women who graduated from this institution and went on to break the path for women in separate but equally important fields. Patricia Cumming was the first woman to be appointed as a full-time provincial court judge in the Province of New Brunswick. She has since distinguished herself, not only for the sensitivity of her judgments, but also for her continuing commitment to the quality of legal education and legal practice in the province.
She was born in Bathurst where she graduated from Bathurst High and absorbed the two cultures and languages of her community, skills that she regularly puts to good use as she presides over trials conducted in either English or French. She received both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Laws Degrees at UNB. In the thirty years since then, she worked first as a Crown Prosecutor with the New Brunswick Department of Justice, in Newcastle, Saint John and Fredericton, before becoming Director of Policing Services for the province in 1982. In 1985, she was appointed Judge of the Provincial Court, and just last year was elevated to the position of Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court. Since 1993, she has also served as Administrator of the Province in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. In all of these roles, she has been a trailblazer for women. As a young Crown Prosecutor, she tackled tough criminal prosecutions traditionally handled by men. Then as Director of Policing Services, she took over full direction of policing activity, which included administering the province’s contract with the RCMP, the operation of the New Brunswick Patrol, and the Inspection and Gun Control Divisions of the Department of Justice. Now as Provincial Court Judge, she presides over trails covering a wide range of criminal and regulatory matters. Also, notably, she sits as Judge of the Youth Criminal Justice Court Dealing with young offenders aged twelve to eighteen. Her advancement at every stage reflected a widespread recognition of her sharp mind and her dedication to her work. As a judge, she has gained a reputation for fairness, common sense, and genuine concern for the human element in a field that is usually, and sometimes narrowly, expected to focus on law and order.
Outside the courtroom, Judge Cumming has contributed substantially to her profession and community. She served a term as president of the New Brunswick Association of Provincial Court Judges. She has been particularly active in matters related to legal education. She has lectured in the New Brunswick Bar Admission course, has frequently spoken at events in the UNB Law School, and has willingly participated as a judge of moot court competitions. She has been a leader in the cause of continuing education. For a total of eight years, she served as Chair of the Education Committee of the New Brunswick Association of Provincial Court Judges, and she helped plan Atlantic Education Seminars, drawing together expertise from throughout the region.
The job of a provincial court judge can be a lonely one, given society’s expectation that those who judge must remain above the fray, so to speak. But in another sense, there is no task more directly and intimately connected with the real world of day-to-day life. Judge Cumming has found that happy balance that preserves her objectivity and fairness while she recognizes the humanity in every offender. She frequently sees young offenders who have no knowledge whatsoever of the law, and she exercises patience and reasonableness in dealing with them. In sentencing, she searches for the way of rehabilitation rather than punishment, although she is not at all averse to issuing a wake-up call to those who need it.
In 1991, the Faculty of Administration presented Patricia Cumming with its "Achievement Award" in recognition for her outstanding accomplishments in public service and on the bench. Where that award acknowledged her brilliance, the honorary degree we bestow upon her today recognizes her wisdom. For her ground-breaking role as a woman in the law, her dedication to the education of lawyers-in-training, her commitment to the highest standards of judicial performance and knowledge, and, not the least, her sensitive and humane dealing with human frailty, we salute her.
From: Honoris Causa, UA Case 70, Box 4
PATRICIA L. CUMMING
to be Doctor of Laws
Encaenia 2004 should go down in the annuals of UNB as highly significant. For the first time in our long, proud tradition, the majority of the honorary degree recipients are women. And at this morning’s ceremony, we honour two women who graduated from this institution and went on to break the path for women in separate but equally important fields. Patricia Cumming was the first woman to be appointed as a full-time provincial court judge in the Province of New Brunswick. She has since distinguished herself, not only for the sensitivity of her judgments, but also for her continuing commitment to the quality of legal education and legal practice in the province.
She was born in Bathurst where she graduated from Bathurst High and absorbed the two cultures and languages of her community, skills that she regularly puts to good use as she presides over trials conducted in either English or French. She received both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Laws Degrees at UNB. In the thirty years since then, she worked first as a Crown Prosecutor with the New Brunswick Department of Justice, in Newcastle, Saint John and Fredericton, before becoming Director of Policing Services for the province in 1982. In 1985, she was appointed Judge of the Provincial Court, and just last year was elevated to the position of Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court. Since 1993, she has also served as Administrator of the Province in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. In all of these roles, she has been a trailblazer for women. As a young Crown Prosecutor, she tackled tough criminal prosecutions traditionally handled by men. Then as Director of Policing Services, she took over full direction of policing activity, which included administering the province’s contract with the RCMP, the operation of the New Brunswick Patrol, and the Inspection and Gun Control Divisions of the Department of Justice. Now as Provincial Court Judge, she presides over trails covering a wide range of criminal and regulatory matters. Also, notably, she sits as Judge of the Youth Criminal Justice Court Dealing with young offenders aged twelve to eighteen. Her advancement at every stage reflected a widespread recognition of her sharp mind and her dedication to her work. As a judge, she has gained a reputation for fairness, common sense, and genuine concern for the human element in a field that is usually, and sometimes narrowly, expected to focus on law and order.
Outside the courtroom, Judge Cumming has contributed substantially to her profession and community. She served a term as president of the New Brunswick Association of Provincial Court Judges. She has been particularly active in matters related to legal education. She has lectured in the New Brunswick Bar Admission course, has frequently spoken at events in the UNB Law School, and has willingly participated as a judge of moot court competitions. She has been a leader in the cause of continuing education. For a total of eight years, she served as Chair of the Education Committee of the New Brunswick Association of Provincial Court Judges, and she helped plan Atlantic Education Seminars, drawing together expertise from throughout the region.
The job of a provincial court judge can be a lonely one, given society’s expectation that those who judge must remain above the fray, so to speak. But in another sense, there is no task more directly and intimately connected with the real world of day-to-day life. Judge Cumming has found that happy balance that preserves her objectivity and fairness while she recognizes the humanity in every offender. She frequently sees young offenders who have no knowledge whatsoever of the law, and she exercises patience and reasonableness in dealing with them. In sentencing, she searches for the way of rehabilitation rather than punishment, although she is not at all averse to issuing a wake-up call to those who need it.
In 1991, the Faculty of Administration presented Patricia Cumming with its "Achievement Award" in recognition for her outstanding accomplishments in public service and on the bench. Where that award acknowledged her brilliance, the honorary degree we bestow upon her today recognizes her wisdom. For her ground-breaking role as a woman in the law, her dedication to the education of lawyers-in-training, her commitment to the highest standards of judicial performance and knowledge, and, not the least, her sensitive and humane dealing with human frailty, we salute her.
From: Honoris Causa, UA Case 70, Box 4
Citations may be reproduced for research purposes only. Publication in whole or in part requires written permission from the author.