Nicholas Devlin

Nicholas Devlin (born September 30, 1971) is a Canadian jurist and former federal prosecutor. He is currently a Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.

Early life and education
Devlin was born on September 30, 1971 in Calgary, Alberta.

He attended the University of Calgary where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies in 1993 and his Bachelor of Law, graduating as his class’s gold medalist in 1996. He went on to complete his Master of Law in 1998 at the University of Toronto where he wrote his thesis on the Charter of Freedom and Rights and freedom of the press.

Public Prosecution Service of Canada
After university, Devlin clerked for Justice Jack Major of the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the Ontario bar in 1999. He then worked at the litigation department of Torys for one year before spending time as a Fox Scholar at Middle Temple in London.

From 2001 till his appointment as a judge, Devlin served as a federal prosecutor and Senior General Counsel with Public Prosecution Service of Canada, during which he regularly appeared on behalf of the crown in front of the Supreme Court of Canada. There he argued prominent cases like R v. Topp, Mills v. R, and R v. Taylor.

Devlin served as adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School from 2013 to 2017. He has taught trial advocacy techniques and cross examination methods.

Judicial Career
On May 22, 2019, David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced Devlin’s appointment as a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

In 2021, Devlin ruled that no jurors will be allowed to serve in an upcoming sexual assault trial unless they confirm they have been vaccinated for Covid-19, which sparked controversy.

In 2024, Devlin was the judge that overlooked the defamation suit initiated by Quebec based DJ SNAILS, where he awarded the plaintiff $1.5 million in damages.