Global Webinar with Judge Albie Sachs

On Monday, November 14th at 12 p.m EST we host Albie Sachs, retired judge of the South African Constitutional Court. Albie Sachs began his activism career as a 17-year-old law student at the University of Cape Town, and has been at the forefront of the struggle for justice and freedom in South Africa since the apartheid era. Upon graduation and passing the bar, his practice involved defending people “charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws.” Through a 24-year exile - and even after losing an arm and sight in one eye from a bomb planted in his car, he still strove to make South Africa a better place for all. Judge Albie took part in the negotiations that made South Africa a constitutional democracy and was appointed by Nelson Mandela to serve as one of the 11 green-robed judges defending the Post-Apartheid constitution in the first Constitutional Court.

Through his time on the bench, Albie Sachs earned the reputation as the conscience of the Court. He made bold, landmark judgments including one that made South Africa the fifth nation to recognize same-sex marriage, a declaration that capital punishment was a violation of the right to life, and a ruling that the government had a duty to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with drugs. Judge Albie will join us this Monday to unpack his career and offer advice to the next generation of global activists.