The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Giuseppina D’Agostino, Associate Vice President Research and Full Professor of Law at York University – Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Federal Court. Justice D’Agostino replaces Justice M.E. Heneghan, who resigned effective February 9, 2026.

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“I wish Justice D’Agostino every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Canada well as a member of the Federal Court.”

— The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Biography

Justice Giuseppina D’Agostino earned her doctorate and masters in law (with distinction) from the University of Oxford, LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, and Honours B.A., summa cum laude, from York University. She holds an ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and was called to the Ontario bar in 2001.

Justice D’Agostino’s legal career spanned the private and public sectors as a lawyer, full professor of law, author, board director, and globally recognized expert at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she has taught across the legal curriculum and held a Tier 1 York Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies and served as the Associate Vice-President Research of York University. She began her legal career at a large Toronto law firm, later serving as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Oxford. She was recruited into the Canadian government by the Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) as a Senior Policy Analyst, has testified before the Canadian Parliament, and her numerous articles and books have been widely cited including at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice D’Agostino has received numerous honours, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her outstanding contributions to Canada.

Justice D’Agostino enjoys travelling with her husband and her four children.