History was made inside a packed courtroom at the Quinte Consolidated Courthouse yesterday.
 
The Honourable Madam Justices Wendy Malcolm and Nicole Tellier were publicly sworn in as the first female judges to the Superior Court of Justice, Family Court Branch in Hastings County.
 
Senior Family Judge in Ontario's Superior Court George Czutrin presided over the ceremony, along with Justice Wolf Tausendfreund of the Superior Court of Ontario.
 
Both women were lauded by colleagues and loved ones for their long and distinguished careers in and out of the family law system.
 
Madam Justice Malcolm made the move to Belleville in 1983 after being a lawyer specializing in family law in Oshawa and spent more than 20 years working for Justice Tausendfreund's law office, which is why him being able to officially put the sash on her and welcome her to the Superior Court bench was so meaningful.
 
Wednesday wasn't the first time Malcolm has made court history.
 
She was also appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice alongside Justice Elaine Deluzio as the first female judges in the Hastings County jurisdiction in 2006.
 
Meantime, Tellier spent more than 30 years working as a litigator in the Greater Toronto area, worked as a family lawyer as well and spent a number of years advocating for women's rights in Ontario and Canada.
 
Both women said they were proud to serve Hastings County and their fellow colleagues by putting families and children first in the judicial system and fulfilling their needs in the most supportive way possible.
 
Czutrin described the event as "truly historic" and described both women as dilligent, compassionate and judges who are willing to serve the needs of families who continue to rely on them for support.
 
The addition of Malcolm and Tellier comes as part of the implementation of a unified family court in Hastings County.

The two women were previously sworn in on May 9 in Ottawa, but the public swearing-in was held Wednesday in Belleville.