Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie has announced the appointment of three new judges.

It is my great pleasure and privilege to announce that the Lieutenant Governor in Council has signed Orders in Council appointing three judges to the Provincial Court. The new judge appointments are Micah Rankin, Charles Hutchinson, and Jodi Michaels.

Judge Rankin 

Judge Rankin will be sworn in on February 4, 2026. He will be assigned to the Vancouver Island region with chambers in Victoria. Judge Rankin is currently Crown counsel in Victoria. He works with the Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions Unit with the Criminal Justice Branch. He has more than 18 years of legal practice. He articled, followed by a clerkship with the BC Court of Appeal. He then practiced at a law firm, specializing in civil litigation for three years. In 2011, he completed an LLM. He then became a founding member of the law faculty at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law in Kamloops, at the time the first new law school in Canada in thirty years. In 2018, he returned to legal practice with the Ministry of the Attorney General, initially as civil counsel before transitioning to the role of Crown counsel. In 2023, he was appointed King’s Counsel. He has also served as the Chair of the Board of Access Pro Bono BC. 

Judge Hutchinson 

Judge Hutchinson will be sworn in on February 5, 2026. He will be assigned to the Northern region with chambers in Prince George. Judge Hutchinson is a criminal defence counsel in Prince George. He is firmly committed to living and working in the north of the province, having practiced in the northwest of the province since his call to the bar. He graduated from Allard School of Law in 2012 and then articled in Vanderhoof. Upon being called to the bar in 2013, he opened his own private practice focussing on criminal defence, family law, and child protection matters. 

Judge Michaels 

Judge Michaels will be sworn in on February 11, 2026. She will be assigned to the Northern region with chambers in Dawson Creek. Called to the BC Bar in 2012, Judge Michaels worked in Vancouver until 2022, when she joined the Crown and began living and working in northern BC. She articled in a small criminal defence firm in Vancouver, where in addition to criminal work, she also handled plaintiff’s ICBC personal injury matters. After being called to the bar in 2012, Judge Michaels opened a practice handling criminal defence, family litigation, and parents’ counsel work, as well as a broad range of civil matters, including civil forfeiture proceedings, ICBC plaintiff litigation, and residential tenancy and property disputes. Upon joining the BC Prosecution Service in 2022, she has worked primarily in the north eastern part of the province. In recognition of leadership and professional contributions, Judge Michaels was awarded the Northern Region Leadership Award at the Annual Crown Conference in May 2024.