MONTREAL — Morton Minc has been appointed chief judge of Montreal municipal court, the first anglophone to hold the post in 43 years and only the second Jew to serve as a chief justice of any Quebec court.

Ian Solloway, chair of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Lord Reading Society, an association of Jewish lawyers, said the late Alan B. Gold is the only other Jewish top judge in Quebec history. Gold was named chief judge of the Provincial Court (now known as Quebec Court) in 1970, and was chief justice of Quebec Superior Court from 1983 to 1992.

“This is terrific news,” Solloway said of the Quebec government’s choice of Minc.

Minc, 63, has served as a judge of the Montreal court since 1993. He received his law degree from the Université de Montréal and was admitted to the bar in 1974. He is an ex-officio board member of Congregation Adath Israel Poale Zedek. Minc’s appointment was announced last week by Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Weil. “His strong background and legal experience make him the ideal candidate for this key position,” she said in a statement.

Solloway described Minc as “a very hard-working judge, very conscientious.”

While municipal court tends to be preoccupied with parking and traffic violations, its jurisdiction includes all civil, criminal and penal matters in the city’s territory.

One notable recent case Minc presided over was the trial of political dissident Jaggi Singh, who was arrested for protesting Canada’s involvement in the Afghanistan war while Prime Minister Stephen Harper was giving a press conference concerning cancer at the Montreal General Hospital.

In December 2007, after a three-day trial, Minc fined him $1,000 for obstructing a police officer and breaching bail conditions. Singh appealed, but last year, the Superior Court upheld Minc’s decision.