A panel of judges and lawyers was named on Wednesday to look into sexual harassment and discrimination allegations involving an associate chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench.

Lori Douglas stepped away from her duties as a sitting judge of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench in September 2010, shortly after the complaint was filed with the Canadian Judicial Council. ((CBC))

The Canadian Judicial Council has said the panel, which was announced earlier this year, will examine whether the allegations surrounding Lori Douglas merit her being removed from the bench.

Alexander Chapman of Winnipeg filed the complaint with the council last year, claiming that Douglas's husband, Jack King, tried to pressure him to have sex with her in 2002 and 2003.

King has already been reprimanded by the Law Society of Manitoba for suggesting to a client that he have sex with Douglas. At the time, both King and Douglas were lawyers, partners at the firm Thompson Dorfman Sweatman in Winnipeg.

Nude pictures of Douglas were also posted online, although King has said he did so without his wife's knowledge.

Douglas stepped away from her duties as a sitting judge in September 2010, after Chapman's complaint was filed.

Chief Justice Catherine Fraser of Alberta will lead the review panel that includes Warren Winkler, chief justice of Ontario, Jacqueline Matheson, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, and two lawyers.

The committee will decide when it will convene to hear the case and will then report to the federal minister of justice — only Parliament can remove a judge from the bench.

Ottawa lawyer Guy Pratte have been named inquiry counsel.