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Albie Sachs

Albert "Albie" Louis Sachs is a South African lawyer, activist, writer, and former judge appointed to the first Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela.

Albert Sachs
Justice of the Constitutional Court
In office
October 1994 – October 2009
Nominated byJudicial Service Commission
Appointed byNelson Mandela
Personal details
Born
Albert Louis Sachs
NationalitySouth African
Spouses
Stephanie Kemp
(m. 1966; div. 1980)
Vanessa September
(m. 2006)
Children3
Parents
  • Emile Solomon "Solly" Sachs
  • Rachel "Ray" (née Ginsberg) Sachs Edwards
Education
Signature

Early life and education Edit

Albie Sachs was born in Johannesburg at the Florence Nightingale Hospital to Emile Solomon "Solly" Sachs, General Secretary to the Garment Workers' Union of South Africa, and Rachel "Ray" (née Ginsberg) Sachs (later Edwards). Both his mother and father fled to South Africa as children with parents who were escaping persecution against Jews in Lithuania. Sachs shared that at the time they left, the antisemitism had become so violent that "Every Easter, the Cossacks would ride into the villages and say, "'The Jews killed Christ, we're going to kill the Jews.' And my grandparents and others were fleeing into the forests and basements of buildings... so they wanted to escape."[1][2] Both of his parents were politically active and his father expressed the desire that Sachs "grow up to be a soldier in the fight for liberation."[3] His mother was a member of the South African Communist Party and worked as a typist for its general secretary Moses Kotane. Sachs said that Kotane's presence in his family's life, in particular the way he was admired by Sachs' mother, made it clear to him that racism was absurd, inhuman, and unjust.[4][5]

His parents separated when he was a toddler and he moved with his mother and younger brother Johnny to a modest beachside home in Cape Town.[4][5] Sachs excelled in school and was moved forward two grades, in part due to a shortage of schoolteachers in South Africa during World War II.[6] He attended South African College Schools, where he edited the school magazine, for junior and high school before graduating. He started law school at the University of Cape Town at the age of 15, and won a prize for English in his first year.[7] He was admitted to the bar in South Africa and began practicing law at 21, and became an advocate for those being prosecuted under racist and oppressive laws, including people who opposed apartheid.[7]

Activism and exile Edit

On 6 April 1952, white South Africans commemorated 300 years since the arrival of Dutch colonisers, particularly Jan van Riebeeck, who rooted European civilization into the country. Many also celebrated the recent electoral victory of the National Party and the introduction of the word apartheid to the English language. Sachs, then a second-year law student, joined two hundred Black South Africans at a meeting to support the African National Congress (ANC), the National Party's opposition, in a working-class area of Cape Town. The ANC launched their Defiance Campaign Against Unjust Laws the same day.[8] Though Sachs was initially told that the Defiance Campaign was a Black campaign led by Black people, he later led a group of young white South Africans to sit in chairs reserved for Black South Africans at the post office.[1] In 1955, Sachs attended the Congress of the People in Kliptown. More than 2,000 delegates supporting the ANC adopted the Freedom Charter, which envisaged equal rights for all in a future South Africa that "belongs to all that live in it, black and white."[9]

As part of the opposition, Sachs was subject to predawn raids by the security police and governmental restrictions on his activities, including meeting with more than one person at any given time. He was also banned from publishing.[10] He was eventually arrested and detained in solitary confinement under the 90-Day Detention Law.[11] He was released after three months but was promptly rearrested and held for an additional seventy-eight days. He was arrested again in 1966, which he described as the "worst moment of [his] life." He was subjected to a spell of sleep deprivation by a security team whose head had been trained in torture methods by the French Directorate-General for External Security in Algeria.[12] Upon his release, he was given permission to leave South Africa under the condition that he never return.

England Edit

Sachs left for England accompanied by Stephanie Kemp, a former client and later cellmate. They married, had children, and continued their anti-apartheid work in the London branch of the ANC.[13] His ANC work brought him to different countries in Europe but he was denied entry to the United States, which regarded the ANC as a terrorist organisation.[12] After policy changes,[specify] he was able to visit the US, where he attended the Trial of the Chicago 7 at the invitation of the lawyers defending the Black Panthers. Sachs supported Bobby Seale and later met Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton.[citation needed]

Sachs attended Sussex University with financial aid from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and completed his doctorate in 1970 under Norman Cohn and G. I. A. D. Draper. His thesis, titled Justice in South Africa, was published in both the UK and the USA but was banned in South Africa, with those in possession of it facing prison time.[14][15] Between 1970 and 1977, Sachs was a lecturer in the law faculty at the University of Southampton, where he wrote Sexism and the Law with historian Joan Hoff-Wilson. He also published The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, which illustrated his time in detainment, in 1966 and Stephanie on Trial, which covered Kemp's imprisonment and his second arrest, in 1968.

Mozambique Edit

Sachs moved to the newly independent Mozambique in 1977, where he worked as a law professor at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo and studied Portuguese to fluency.[10][16] He was later the Ministry of Justice's Director of Research. While in Mozambique, Sachs visited the ANC headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, at the invitation of Oliver Tambo, where Tambo asked him to draft a code of conduct for the ANC that forbade the use of torture and highlighted the party's democratic principles. The ANC adopted it as a binding policy after it was presented by Sachs at a conference in Kabwe in 1985.[17]

Sachs helped lay the foundations for the future constitution of South Africa by serving as a scribe and provided Tambo with legal support.[18][10]

Assassination attempt and aftermath Edit

On 7 April 1988, Sachs opened the door to his car and it exploded.[19] Sachs lost his right arm and vision in his left eye, and a passerby was killed.[5] He was stabilized in Mozambique, then flown to London Hospital to recover. There, he received a letter promising he would be avenged. Sachs decided to seek not revenge, but "soft vengeance". This "soft vengeance" would take the form of getting freedom in a new non-racial and democratic South Africa based on human rights and the rule of law.[20][5]

After recovering from the attack, Sachs established and became the founding director of the South African Constitutional Studies Centre at the University of London.[21] He then flew to Dublin to work on the first draft of South Africa's Bill of Rights along with Kader Asmal under the direction of the ANC. In early 1989, Sachs went to the US to work with Jack Greenberg at the Columbia School of Law and Louis Henkin at the School of International and Public Affairs. He attended a Law and Justice Seminar in Aspen, Colorado moderated by Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who spoke about the intersection of his Catholic identity and his opposition to abortion and his belief that his own beliefs should not be forced on others with different beliefs. Despite his staunch objection to abortion, he supported the passing of Roe v Wade. Sachs took from this the idea of the sacred and profane, which would later influence his own judgments.[citation needed]

While in the US, Sachs also learned to use a computer and wrote The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter, where he reflected on his recovery.[22]

Return to South Africa Edit

Sachs returned to South Africa in 1990 after the unbanning of the ANC and other political organizations and the release of Nelson Mandela. There, he worked at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in the law faculty with Dullah Omar and was appointed honorary professor at the University of Cape Town after his lecture Perfectibility and Corruptibility.[21] He continued working with the ANC's Constitutional Committee and in 1990 published Protecting Human Rights in South Africa. This book contained the controversial[23] paper Preparing Ourselves for Freedom, which proposed that the ANC stop saying that "culture is a weapon of struggle" by arguing that the sociopolitical impact of culture was too complex and full of ambiguity to be reduced to "a weapon that simply fired in one direction."[citation needed] Sachs was elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee in 1991 ahead of the ANC's first conference in South Africa.[16] He worked with UWC to organized workshops on electoral systems, land rights, regional government, and affirmative action, among other topics.[24][irrelevant citation] In December 1992, Sachs worked on ANC's team during negotiations for a new constitutional order.[25]

Sachs also served on Working Group Two, which dealt with the nature of the South African State and the process for constitution-making.[26] CODESA negotiations broke down but were later resumed as the Multi-Party Negotiation Process, which led to the drafting of the Interim Constitution. This provided for South Africa's first democratic elections, which would populate its Parliament. Parliamentary members formed the Constitutional Assembly and drafted the final version of the Constitution.

The interim Constitution also provided for the creation of an independent Constitutional Court, which would ensure that fundamental rights would be upheld during the Constitution-making period both to ensure and to certify that the text of the final text Constitution complied with the 34 Principles agreed to during negotiations.[21]

Sachs has been widely credited as the "chief architect" of the post-apartheid 1996 Constitution, a label that he firmly rejects, insisting that the Constitution was the product of large groups of people working over many years and culminating in the intense work of the Constitutional Assembly, of which he was not even a member.[27] He has said that, if one were to do a paternity test on South Africa's Constitution, that Oliver Tambo's DNA would be revealed.[28]

Constitutional Court and judicial career Edit

In 1994, following South Africa's first democratic elections, Sachs resigned from the ANC's National Executive Committee and pursued a position on the country's newly established Constitutional Court.[10]: 244–245 [3][29] He was selected later that year by Mandela as a founding member of the Court. In addition to his judicial duties, Sachs and Justice Yvonne Mokgoro put together the Court's art collection, which relayed its dedication to humanity and social interdependence in the newly democratic South Africa.[30][7][31] His appointment inspired initial controversy, primarily due to his interview with the Judicial Service Commission. Here, Sachs was asked about his role in a report downplaying the ANC's indefinite detention and solitary confinement of Umkhonto we Sizwe commander Thami Zulu.[32] Thami Zulu was killed in Lusaka in 1989, and the ANC never carried out an investigation about who in the ANC had murdered.[33] Sachs received criticism from other politicians and lawyers, which he felt was unfair given his central role in ending torture in ANC camps.[34][35] Sachs worked on a number of landmark cases, including Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie and the Prisoners' Right to Vote.[10]

August and Another v Electoral Commission (1999) Edit

After the Electoral Commission of South Africa declared that prisoners would be barred from voting in the general elections, the Court considered whether they were denying a fundamental right. The Court unanimously agreed that withholding the right to vote from prisoners was unconstitutional and would be observed only under an Act of Parliament that was compatible with the Constitution. Sachs wrote: "The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood."[36]

Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education (2000) Edit

Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education questioned whether Parliament had unconstitutionally limited religious rights by prohibiting corporal punishment in schools. Sachs argued that corporal punishment infringed on the rights of children, and pointed to Section 12 of the South African Constitution, which extends the rights to freedom, security, and protection from "all forms of violence whether from public or private sources."[37] Sachs wrote that "[B]elievers cannot claim an automatic right to be exempted by their beliefs from the laws of the land. At the same time, the state should, wherever reasonably possible, seek to avoid putting believers to extremely painful and intensely burdensome choices of either being true to their faith or else respectful of the law."[38] Sachs felt that the case would have been enriched had by a children's advocate appointed by the State.[37]

Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers (2004) Edit

In Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers, Port Elizabeth officials filed for the eviction of unhoused people living on unused, private land. The Court unanimously agreed that the group should not be evicted in support of the "right not to be arbitrarily deprived of a home." Sachs added, "Ubuntu is a unifying motif of the Bill of Rights, which is nothing if not a structured, institutionalized and operational declaration in our evolving new society of the need for human interdependence, respect and concern."[39]

Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie (2005) Edit

Sachs wrote the Court's majority judgement in Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie declaring that South Africa's statute defining marriage to be between one man and one woman was unconstitutional for not including same-sex couples. He stated that the Parliament was obligated to amend the Marriage Act to reflect the inclusion written into the Constitution and that the Court itself would make the changes if Parliament did not act within a year. He wrote that "the Constitution acknowledges the variability of human beings [genetic and socio-cultural], affirms the right to be different, and celebrates the diversity of the nation." The Civil Union Act came from this decision and relied more heavily on the gender-neutral "spouse."[40] Justice Kate O'Regan criticised Sachs for not taking immediate action on the changes and assigning that responsibility to Parliament instead.[41][42]

Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International (2005) Edit

In this matter the Court held that the parodied use of a trademark on a t-shirt should not be interdicted, because the detriment to the owners intellectual property rights was small and far outweighed by free speech rights. In a separate concurring judgment Sachs wrote, "Does the law have a sense of humor?... A society that takes itself too seriously risks bottling up its tensions and treating every example of irreverence as a threat to its existence. Humor is one of the great solvents of democracy. It permits the ambiguities and contradictions of public life to be articulated in non-violent forms. It promotes diversity. It enables a multitude of discontents to be expressed in a myriad of spontaneous ways. It is an elixir of constitutional health."[43][44]

Volks NO v Robinson and Others (2005) and Jane Bwanya v The Master of the High Court, Cape Town (2021) Edit

Volks v Robinson looked at whether a law providing for surviving spouses to receive maintenance from a deceased person's estate was unconstitutional on the grounds that it did not include unmarried cohabitants. While the majority of the Court did not find this discriminatory, Sachs strongly disagreed: "[S]hould a person who has shared her home and life with her deceased partner, borne and raised children with him, cared for him in health and in sickness, and dedicated her life to support the family they created together, be treated as a legal stranger to his estate, with no claim for subsistence because they were never married?"[45] The Court's majority decision was overturned in 2021 in Jane Bwanya v The Master of the High Court, Cape Town in favour of Sachs' argument.[46]

S v M (2007) Edit

S v M brought the Court a case wherein a woman, referred to as M, faced jail time for repeated credit fraud, even while out on bail. Sachs initially planned to dismiss the case but, in talking with his colleagues, he learned that M was a single parent of three teenagers living in an area with high levels of gang and drug activity and violence. She was also the owner and operator of two small businesses and was a member of the school governing board. Sachs accepted the case on the grounds of the children's right to parental care. He ruled in their interest, emphasizing that "foundational to the enjoyment of the right to childhood is the promotion of the right as far as possible to live in a secure and nurturing environment free from violence, fear, want and avoidable trauma."[47][48]

Judicial Retirement Edit

Sachs retired in October 2009 after fifteen years in the Court. Justices Pius Langa, Yvonne Mokgoro and Kate O'Regan also retired.[49] In 2010, he described his judicial career as "joyous and exhilarating, but also exhausting, complicated and problematic."[50][7] Sachs has stayed active and in the public eye since his retirement from the Court. The Guardian has described him as "arguably the world's most famous judge."[47]

Lecturing and consultancy Edit

Sachs has remained active in his retirement and travels around the world to lecture or act as a consultant. He works to promote restorative justice, gender equality, and constitutional democracy. He worked with Canadian Supreme Court Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé to encourage Supreme Court judges in Sri Lanka and Nepal to approach their roles with greater gender sensitivity.[51] Sachs traveled in his early years as well, speaking to the Northern Irish during The Troubles,[52] Sri Lankans during the Tiger Tamil Rebellion,[53] and Colombians and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in support of the Colombian peace process.[54] In 1999, he visited Guyana on behalf of the National Democratic Institute to meet with political and civil society leaders to discuss political accommodation and constitution-making.[55]

In 1997, he was appointed by UNESCO to the International Bioethics Committee to help with drafting the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights[56] He also spent 15 months in Kenya as a commonwealth judge and served on the Kenya Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board.[57] In 2021, he served as a judge at the World Human Rights Moot Court Competition as part of the University of Pretoria's Mandela Day celebration in Geneva.[58]

As of August 2022, Sachs is a trustee for the Constitutional Hill Trust,[59] the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation,[60] and the Albie Sachs Trust for Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law.[61] He also served on the International Cricket Council's Disciplinary Appeals Board for many years.[56][62]

Publications Edit

Books Edit

  • The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs - 1966, Harvill Press - ISBN 9780586090572
  • Stephanie on Trial - 1968, Harvill Press ISBN 9780352329028
  • Justice in South Africa - 1973, University of California Press - ISBN 9780520026247
  • Protecting Human Rights in a New South Africa - 1990, Oxford University Press - ISBN 9780195706093
  • The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter - 1990, Grafton - ISBN 9780246136749
  • Advancing Human Rights in South Africa - 1992, Oxford University Press - ISBN 9780195708141
  • The Free Diary of Albie Sachs - 2004, Random House
  • The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law - 2009, Oxford University Press - ISBN 9780199605774
  • We, the People: Insights of an Activist Judge - 2016, University of the Witwatersrand Press - ISBN 9781868149988
  • Oliver Tambo's Dream: Four Lectures - 2017, African Lives - ISBN 9780620779593

Essays Edit

  • Preparing Ourselves for Freedom: Culture and the ANC Constitutional Guidelines – 1991, TDR - doi:10.2307/1146119
  • Tales of Terrorism and Torture: The Soft Vengeance of Justice (in Confronting Torture) - 2018, University of Chicago Press - doi:10.7208/9780226529554-003

As a co-author Edit

Honours and awards Edit

Year Award Awarding Body Contribution Ref
1991 Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards Sunday Times Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter [63]
2006 President of South Africa Order of Luthuli in silver Excellent contributions [64][62]
2006 President of Portugal Medal of Freedom [citation needed]
2009 Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award [65][11]
2009 Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Reconciliation Award "For realising reconciliation through his life and work." [66]
2010 Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards Sunday Times Strange Alchemy of Life and Law [63]
2010 Ford's Theatre Society (presented by Ruth Bader Ginsburg) Lincoln Medal Human rights activism [67][62]
2014 The Tang Prize Foundation Tang Prize - Rule of Law "for his many contributions to human rights and justice globally through an understanding of the rule of law in which the dignity of all persons is respected and the strengths and values of all communities are embraced..." [68][69]
2014 University College Dublin Ulysses Medal Outstanding global contribution [70]
2021 President of France Legion of Honour Contributions to human rights, racial equality, democracy, and social justice [71]
2022 Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, (presented by Michelle Obama) Clooney Foundation for Justice, The Albies Lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of justice [72]
Unknown President of Brazil Order of the Southern Cross [73]
Unknown Lincoln's Inn Honorary Bencher [62]
Unknown John Brunner Martin Luther King Memorial Prize Island in Chains (with Indres Naidoo) [citation needed]
Unknown Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD) HOPD Award for the Betterment of Humanity [74]


Honorary degrees Edit

Sachs holds honorary doctorates from the following universities:

Cultural recognition Edit

The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs was dramatized by playwright David Edgar for the Royal Shakespeare Company and was televised by the BBC in 1981.[99] In Allan Hutchinson's 2012 book Laughing at the Gods: Great Judges and How They Made the Common law, Sachs is listed as one of the greatest common law judges in history alongside Lord Mansfield, John Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., James Atkin, Tom Denning, Thurgood Marshall, and Bertha Wilson. Hutchinson believes that Sachs' "life and career redefine what it means to be a lawyer and judge in a society that is grappling with the injustices of its past and ameliorating opportunities of its future."[10]: 238, 265  Abby Ginzberg directed and produced the 2014 documentary Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa about Sachs' life. The film won a Peabody Award.[100][101] The George Clooney Foundation for Justice established the Albie Awards to honour activists in different sectors all over the world. Maria Ressa, IACT, Viasna Human Rights Centre, and Josephine Kulea will be the award's inaugural recipients in September 2022.[72] In 2022, Sachs was also featured the Netflix documentary Live to Lead.[102]

Personal life Edit

Sachs married his first wife, Stephanie Kemp, a member of the African Resistance Movement, ANC, and SACP, in 1966. They have two children, Alan and Michael, and divorced in 1980.[103] She remained in London for another 10 years and worked as a physiotherapist specializing in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy before returning to South Africa.[104] Sachs married urban architect Vanessa September in 2006. Their marriage was officiated by Justice Pius Langa. They have one son, Oliver Lukho-u-Thando September Sachs.[105] Sachs describes himself as "a very secular person" who is respectful of others' beliefs and is proud to identify as a Jew. The Jews he identifies most with are Karl Marx, Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud.[106][107]

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Tuesday Takeover, AFM, 23 March 2021
  2. ^ The Vanished World of Lithuanian Jews, 2004 edited by Alvydas Nikžentaitis, Darius Staliūnas, Stefan Schreiner, page 134
  3. ^ a b c "Narrative". Constitutional Court of South Africa. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b Sachs, Albie (1973). Justice in South Africa. University of California Press.
  5. ^ a b c d Blackledge, Richard (17 July 2019). "How Albie Sachs survived car bomb to help Nelson Mandela build post-apartheid South Africa". The Yorkshire Post.
  6. ^ Gabriel, Amakievi (2015). "SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES IN AFRICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: 1939 – 1945". European Education Research Journal. 1 (13): 1–9.
  7. ^ a b c d Sachs, Albie (2 February 1998). "Suffering, Survival, and Transformation". Conversations with History (Interview). Interviewed by Harry Kreisler. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Defiance Campaign 1952". South African History Online. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter". South African History Online. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Hutchinson, Allan C. (2012). Laughing at the Gods: Great Judges and How They Made the Common Law. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Albie Sachs". Academy of Achievement. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b Sachs, Albie; Cornell, Drucilla; van Marle, Karin (2014). Albie Sachs and Transformation in South Africa : from Revolutionary Activist to Constitutional Court Judge. Birbeck Law Press.
  13. ^ Battersby, John (15 March 1990). "ALBIE SACHS BIOGRAPHY". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  14. ^ (PDF) (Report). United Nations Centre against Apartheid. 1971. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Letter in support of Rowntree Charitable Trust, published in The Times". openDemocracy. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Justice Albie Sachs". ConCourtBlog. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b "JUSTICE ALBIE". Constitutionalhill. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  18. ^ Peté, Stephen (2010). "SOUTH AFRICA'S QUIXOTIC HERO AND HIS NOBLE QUEST – CONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUSTICE ALBIE SACHS AND THE DREAM OF A RAINBOW NATION". Obiter. 31 (1). doi:10.17159/obiter.v31i1.12374. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  19. ^ Kenny, Peter (24 June 2014). "Albie Sachs, who lost arm in apartheid bomb blast: S. Africa needs to be on 'side of justice'". Ecumenical News. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  20. ^ "SOFT VENGEANCE: ALBIE SACHS AND THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA". Columbia University School of Arts – via www.youtube.com.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g O'Malley, Padraig. "SACHS, ALBERT LOUIS (ALBIE)". Nelson Mandela Foundation.
  22. ^ Sachs, A. (2000) The soft vengeance of a freedom fighter / Albie Sachs ; foreword by Desmond Tutu, introduction by Nancy Scheper-Hughes. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press.
  23. ^ Steinberg, Carol. “Albie Sachs: Our Shakespearian Fool.” TDR 35, no. 1 (1991): 194–99. https://doi.org/10.2307/1146120.
  24. ^ Khoza, Sibonile, ed. (2007). Socio-economic rights in South Africa (2 ed.). Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape.
  25. ^ "21 Aug 1992: Sachs, Albie - the O'Malley Archives".
  26. ^ Corder, Hugh (1994). "Towards a South African Constitution". The Modern Law Review. 57 (4): 491–533. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2230.1994.tb01957.x. JSTOR 1096553. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Judge Albert Louis "Albie" Sachs | South African History Online".
  28. ^ Sachs, Albie. Oliver Tambo's Dream: Four Lectures by Albie Sachs. Cape Town: African lives, 2017.
  29. ^ Sartorio, Guillem (9 February 2022). . ENCA. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  30. ^ "THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ART COLLECTION". Constitution Hill. n.d. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  31. ^ . Constitutional Court. n.d. Archived from the original on 7 January 2006.
  32. ^ . Constitutional Court. 4 October 1994. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006.
  33. ^ "OPINIONISTA: Who killed Thami Zulu? The evidence is clear, but the ANC has done nothing to prosecute murder in its ranks". 8 December 2021.
  34. ^ Sachs, Albie (6 January 2012). (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Dennis Davis. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2015.
  35. ^ (PDF). University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2015.
  36. ^ "August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others". Southern African Legal Information Institute. 1999. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  37. ^ a b Sachs, Albie (8 April 2017). "Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education".
  38. ^ "CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SOUTH AFRICA versus MINISTER OF EDUCATION" (PDF). Concourt. 2000. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  39. ^ "Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers (CCT 53/03) [2004] ZACC 7; 2005 (1) SA 217 (CC); 2004". Southern African Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  40. ^ "Minister of Home Affairs Director-General of Home Affairs versus Marie Adriaana Fourie Cecelia Johanna Bonthuys with Doctors for Life International John Jackson Smyth The Marriage Alliance of South Africa" (PDF). Concourt. 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  41. ^ O'Regan, Kate. Minister of Home Affairs and Another v Fourie and Another/O'Regan J  – via Wikisource.
  42. ^ "Albie Sachs on the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage Rights in South Africa". University of Chicago Law School. 30 April 2013.
  43. ^ https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2005/7.html, para 110
  44. ^ Sachs, Albie. The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, page 130, 138-9
  45. ^ "Richard Gordon Volks NO versus Ethel Robinson Women's Legal Centre Trust Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development the Master of the High Court Togteher with Centre for Applied Legal Studies" (PDF). Concourt. 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  46. ^ "Case CCT 241/20" (PDF). Concourt. 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  47. ^ a b Kemp, Jackie (30 June 2009). "Life sentences". The Guardian.
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  49. ^ Alcock, Sello; Russouw, Mandy (29 May 2009). "Zuma's judges dilemma". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  50. ^ "Integrity core to the Court, says Sachs". University of Cape Town. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  51. ^ "Soft Vengeance: The story of Albie Sachs".[dead link]
  52. ^ Hughes, Michael (8 September 2020). "Sharing or Divisive history? - A reflection of Anger Atonement and Healing". The Community Foundation.
  53. ^ "A Pahad to host Sri Lankan delegation, 23 Apr". South African Government. 22 April 2007.
  54. ^ Rodríguez-Garavito, César (2 November 2015). "The 'soft vengeance' of peace in Colombia". OpenGlobalRights.
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  63. ^ a b "Alan Paton Readers' Choice Award".
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  66. ^ "Reconciliation Award". The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  67. ^ Xaso, Lwandao (19 September 2020). "Ruth Bader Ginsburg – An ally of the South African Constitution". Daily Maverick.
  68. ^ "法治獎得主" (in Chinese). Tang Prize. 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  69. ^ "The Simple Power of a Hug: Albie Sachs Moves Audience with his Story". Tang Prize. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
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External links Edit

  • Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Albie Sachs in conversation for the Guarini Institute launch
  • by the Conversations with History program of the Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
  • from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview program
  • Hear his talk at the University of Chicago
  • Interview with Albie Sachs on The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law, "The Law Report" (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  • On idealism, passion and reason in South Africa Albie Sachs Speaks on The Forum
  • Albie Sachs Freedom Collection interview

albie, sachs, albert, albie, louis, sachs, south, african, lawyer, activist, writer, former, judge, appointed, first, constitutional, court, south, africa, nelson, mandela, justicealbert, sachsjustice, constitutional, courtin, office, october, 1994, october, 2. Albert Albie Louis Sachs is a South African lawyer activist writer and former judge appointed to the first Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela JusticeAlbert SachsJustice of the Constitutional CourtIn office October 1994 October 2009Nominated byJudicial Service CommissionAppointed byNelson MandelaPersonal detailsBornAlbert Louis SachsNationalitySouth AfricanSpousesStephanie Kemp m 1966 div 1980 wbr Vanessa September m 2006 wbr Children3ParentsEmile Solomon Solly Sachs Rachel Ray nee Ginsberg Sachs EdwardsEducationSouth African College School University of Cape Town BA LLB University of Sussex PhD Signature Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Activism and exile 2 1 England 2 2 Mozambique 2 3 Assassination attempt and aftermath 3 Return to South Africa 4 Constitutional Court and judicial career 4 1 August and Another v Electoral Commission 1999 4 2 Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education 2000 4 3 Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers 2004 4 4 Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie 2005 4 5 Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International 2005 4 6 Volks NO v Robinson and Others 2005 and Jane Bwanya v The Master of the High Court Cape Town 2021 4 7 S v M 2007 4 8 Judicial Retirement 5 Lecturing and consultancy 6 Publications 6 1 Books 6 2 Essays 6 3 As a co author 7 Honours and awards 7 1 Honorary degrees 7 2 Cultural recognition 8 Personal life 9 References 10 External linksEarly life and education EditAlbie Sachs was born in Johannesburg at the Florence Nightingale Hospital to Emile Solomon Solly Sachs General Secretary to the Garment Workers Union of South Africa and Rachel Ray nee Ginsberg Sachs later Edwards Both his mother and father fled to South Africa as children with parents who were escaping persecution against Jews in Lithuania Sachs shared that at the time they left the antisemitism had become so violent that Every Easter the Cossacks would ride into the villages and say The Jews killed Christ we re going to kill the Jews And my grandparents and others were fleeing into the forests and basements of buildings so they wanted to escape 1 2 Both of his parents were politically active and his father expressed the desire that Sachs grow up to be a soldier in the fight for liberation 3 His mother was a member of the South African Communist Party and worked as a typist for its general secretary Moses Kotane Sachs said that Kotane s presence in his family s life in particular the way he was admired by Sachs mother made it clear to him that racism was absurd inhuman and unjust 4 5 His parents separated when he was a toddler and he moved with his mother and younger brother Johnny to a modest beachside home in Cape Town 4 5 Sachs excelled in school and was moved forward two grades in part due to a shortage of schoolteachers in South Africa during World War II 6 He attended South African College Schools where he edited the school magazine for junior and high school before graduating He started law school at the University of Cape Town at the age of 15 and won a prize for English in his first year 7 He was admitted to the bar in South Africa and began practicing law at 21 and became an advocate for those being prosecuted under racist and oppressive laws including people who opposed apartheid 7 Activism and exile EditOn 6 April 1952 white South Africans commemorated 300 years since the arrival of Dutch colonisers particularly Jan van Riebeeck who rooted European civilization into the country Many also celebrated the recent electoral victory of the National Party and the introduction of the word apartheid to the English language Sachs then a second year law student joined two hundred Black South Africans at a meeting to support the African National Congress ANC the National Party s opposition in a working class area of Cape Town The ANC launched their Defiance Campaign Against Unjust Laws the same day 8 Though Sachs was initially told that the Defiance Campaign was a Black campaign led by Black people he later led a group of young white South Africans to sit in chairs reserved for Black South Africans at the post office 1 In 1955 Sachs attended the Congress of the People in Kliptown More than 2 000 delegates supporting the ANC adopted the Freedom Charter which envisaged equal rights for all in a future South Africa that belongs to all that live in it black and white 9 As part of the opposition Sachs was subject to predawn raids by the security police and governmental restrictions on his activities including meeting with more than one person at any given time He was also banned from publishing 10 He was eventually arrested and detained in solitary confinement under the 90 Day Detention Law 11 He was released after three months but was promptly rearrested and held for an additional seventy eight days He was arrested again in 1966 which he described as the worst moment of his life He was subjected to a spell of sleep deprivation by a security team whose head had been trained in torture methods by the French Directorate General for External Security in Algeria 12 Upon his release he was given permission to leave South Africa under the condition that he never return England Edit Sachs left for England accompanied by Stephanie Kemp a former client and later cellmate They married had children and continued their anti apartheid work in the London branch of the ANC 13 His ANC work brought him to different countries in Europe but he was denied entry to the United States which regarded the ANC as a terrorist organisation 12 After policy changes specify he was able to visit the US where he attended the Trial of the Chicago 7 at the invitation of the lawyers defending the Black Panthers Sachs supported Bobby Seale and later met Black Panther leader Huey P Newton citation needed Sachs attended Sussex University with financial aid from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and completed his doctorate in 1970 under Norman Cohn and G I A D Draper His thesis titled Justice in South Africa was published in both the UK and the USA but was banned in South Africa with those in possession of it facing prison time 14 15 Between 1970 and 1977 Sachs was a lecturer in the law faculty at the University of Southampton where he wrote Sexism and the Law with historian Joan Hoff Wilson He also published The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs which illustrated his time in detainment in 1966 and Stephanie on Trial which covered Kemp s imprisonment and his second arrest in 1968 Mozambique Edit Sachs moved to the newly independent Mozambique in 1977 where he worked as a law professor at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo and studied Portuguese to fluency 10 16 He was later the Ministry of Justice s Director of Research While in Mozambique Sachs visited the ANC headquarters in Lusaka Zambia at the invitation of Oliver Tambo where Tambo asked him to draft a code of conduct for the ANC that forbade the use of torture and highlighted the party s democratic principles The ANC adopted it as a binding policy after it was presented by Sachs at a conference in Kabwe in 1985 17 Sachs helped lay the foundations for the future constitution of South Africa by serving as a scribe and provided Tambo with legal support 18 10 Assassination attempt and aftermath Edit On 7 April 1988 Sachs opened the door to his car and it exploded 19 Sachs lost his right arm and vision in his left eye and a passerby was killed 5 He was stabilized in Mozambique then flown to London Hospital to recover There he received a letter promising he would be avenged Sachs decided to seek not revenge but soft vengeance This soft vengeance would take the form of getting freedom in a new non racial and democratic South Africa based on human rights and the rule of law 20 5 After recovering from the attack Sachs established and became the founding director of the South African Constitutional Studies Centre at the University of London 21 He then flew to Dublin to work on the first draft of South Africa s Bill of Rights along with Kader Asmal under the direction of the ANC In early 1989 Sachs went to the US to work with Jack Greenberg at the Columbia School of Law and Louis Henkin at the School of International and Public Affairs He attended a Law and Justice Seminar in Aspen Colorado moderated by Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun who spoke about the intersection of his Catholic identity and his opposition to abortion and his belief that his own beliefs should not be forced on others with different beliefs Despite his staunch objection to abortion he supported the passing of Roe v Wade Sachs took from this the idea of the sacred and profane which would later influence his own judgments citation needed While in the US Sachs also learned to use a computer and wrote The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter where he reflected on his recovery 22 Return to South Africa EditSachs returned to South Africa in 1990 after the unbanning of the ANC and other political organizations and the release of Nelson Mandela There he worked at the University of the Western Cape UWC in the law faculty with Dullah Omar and was appointed honorary professor at the University of Cape Town after his lecture Perfectibility and Corruptibility 21 He continued working with the ANC s Constitutional Committee and in 1990 published Protecting Human Rights in South Africa This book contained the controversial 23 paper Preparing Ourselves for Freedom which proposed that the ANC stop saying that culture is a weapon of struggle by arguing that the sociopolitical impact of culture was too complex and full of ambiguity to be reduced to a weapon that simply fired in one direction citation needed Sachs was elected to the ANC s National Executive Committee in 1991 ahead of the ANC s first conference in South Africa 16 He worked with UWC to organized workshops on electoral systems land rights regional government and affirmative action among other topics 24 irrelevant citation In December 1992 Sachs worked on ANC s team during negotiations for a new constitutional order 25 Sachs also served on Working Group Two which dealt with the nature of the South African State and the process for constitution making 26 CODESA negotiations broke down but were later resumed as the Multi Party Negotiation Process which led to the drafting of the Interim Constitution This provided for South Africa s first democratic elections which would populate its Parliament Parliamentary members formed the Constitutional Assembly and drafted the final version of the Constitution The interim Constitution also provided for the creation of an independent Constitutional Court which would ensure that fundamental rights would be upheld during the Constitution making period both to ensure and to certify that the text of the final text Constitution complied with the 34 Principles agreed to during negotiations 21 Sachs has been widely credited as the chief architect of the post apartheid 1996 Constitution a label that he firmly rejects insisting that the Constitution was the product of large groups of people working over many years and culminating in the intense work of the Constitutional Assembly of which he was not even a member 27 He has said that if one were to do a paternity test on South Africa s Constitution that Oliver Tambo s DNA would be revealed 28 Constitutional Court and judicial career EditIn 1994 following South Africa s first democratic elections Sachs resigned from the ANC s National Executive Committee and pursued a position on the country s newly established Constitutional Court 10 244 245 3 29 He was selected later that year by Mandela as a founding member of the Court In addition to his judicial duties Sachs and Justice Yvonne Mokgoro put together the Court s art collection which relayed its dedication to humanity and social interdependence in the newly democratic South Africa 30 7 31 His appointment inspired initial controversy primarily due to his interview with the Judicial Service Commission Here Sachs was asked about his role in a report downplaying the ANC s indefinite detention and solitary confinement of Umkhonto we Sizwe commander Thami Zulu 32 Thami Zulu was killed in Lusaka in 1989 and the ANC never carried out an investigation about who in the ANC had murdered 33 Sachs received criticism from other politicians and lawyers which he felt was unfair given his central role in ending torture in ANC camps 34 35 Sachs worked on a number of landmark cases including Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie and the Prisoners Right to Vote 10 August and Another v Electoral Commission 1999 Edit After the Electoral Commission of South Africa declared that prisoners would be barred from voting in the general elections the Court considered whether they were denying a fundamental right The Court unanimously agreed that withholding the right to vote from prisoners was unconstitutional and would be observed only under an Act of Parliament that was compatible with the Constitution Sachs wrote The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood 36 Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education 2000 Edit Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education questioned whether Parliament had unconstitutionally limited religious rights by prohibiting corporal punishment in schools Sachs argued that corporal punishment infringed on the rights of children and pointed to Section 12 of the South African Constitution which extends the rights to freedom security and protection from all forms of violence whether from public or private sources 37 Sachs wrote that B elievers cannot claim an automatic right to be exempted by their beliefs from the laws of the land At the same time the state should wherever reasonably possible seek to avoid putting believers to extremely painful and intensely burdensome choices of either being true to their faith or else respectful of the law 38 Sachs felt that the case would have been enriched had by a children s advocate appointed by the State 37 Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers 2004 Edit In Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers Port Elizabeth officials filed for the eviction of unhoused people living on unused private land The Court unanimously agreed that the group should not be evicted in support of the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of a home Sachs added Ubuntu is a unifying motif of the Bill of Rights which is nothing if not a structured institutionalized and operational declaration in our evolving new society of the need for human interdependence respect and concern 39 Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie 2005 Edit Sachs wrote the Court s majority judgement in Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie declaring that South Africa s statute defining marriage to be between one man and one woman was unconstitutional for not including same sex couples He stated that the Parliament was obligated to amend the Marriage Act to reflect the inclusion written into the Constitution and that the Court itself would make the changes if Parliament did not act within a year He wrote that the Constitution acknowledges the variability of human beings genetic and socio cultural affirms the right to be different and celebrates the diversity of the nation The Civil Union Act came from this decision and relied more heavily on the gender neutral spouse 40 Justice Kate O Regan criticised Sachs for not taking immediate action on the changes and assigning that responsibility to Parliament instead 41 42 Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International 2005 Edit In this matter the Court held that the parodied use of a trademark on a t shirt should not be interdicted because the detriment to the owners intellectual property rights was small and far outweighed by free speech rights In a separate concurring judgment Sachs wrote Does the law have a sense of humor A society that takes itself too seriously risks bottling up its tensions and treating every example of irreverence as a threat to its existence Humor is one of the great solvents of democracy It permits the ambiguities and contradictions of public life to be articulated in non violent forms It promotes diversity It enables a multitude of discontents to be expressed in a myriad of spontaneous ways It is an elixir of constitutional health 43 44 Volks NO v Robinson and Others 2005 and Jane Bwanya v The Master of the High Court Cape Town 2021 Edit Volks v Robinson looked at whether a law providing for surviving spouses to receive maintenance from a deceased person s estate was unconstitutional on the grounds that it did not include unmarried cohabitants While the majority of the Court did not find this discriminatory Sachs strongly disagreed S hould a person who has shared her home and life with her deceased partner borne and raised children with him cared for him in health and in sickness and dedicated her life to support the family they created together be treated as a legal stranger to his estate with no claim for subsistence because they were never married 45 The Court s majority decision was overturned in 2021 in Jane Bwanya v The Master of the High Court Cape Town in favour of Sachs argument 46 S v M 2007 Edit S v M brought the Court a case wherein a woman referred to as M faced jail time for repeated credit fraud even while out on bail Sachs initially planned to dismiss the case but in talking with his colleagues he learned that M was a single parent of three teenagers living in an area with high levels of gang and drug activity and violence She was also the owner and operator of two small businesses and was a member of the school governing board Sachs accepted the case on the grounds of the children s right to parental care He ruled in their interest emphasizing that foundational to the enjoyment of the right to childhood is the promotion of the right as far as possible to live in a secure and nurturing environment free from violence fear want and avoidable trauma 47 48 Judicial Retirement Edit Sachs retired in October 2009 after fifteen years in the Court Justices Pius Langa Yvonne Mokgoro and Kate O Regan also retired 49 In 2010 he described his judicial career as joyous and exhilarating but also exhausting complicated and problematic 50 7 Sachs has stayed active and in the public eye since his retirement from the Court The Guardian has described him as arguably the world s most famous judge 47 Lecturing and consultancy EditSachs has remained active in his retirement and travels around the world to lecture or act as a consultant He works to promote restorative justice gender equality and constitutional democracy He worked with Canadian Supreme Court Justice Claire L Heureux Dube to encourage Supreme Court judges in Sri Lanka and Nepal to approach their roles with greater gender sensitivity 51 Sachs traveled in his early years as well speaking to the Northern Irish during The Troubles 52 Sri Lankans during the Tiger Tamil Rebellion 53 and Colombians and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in support of the Colombian peace process 54 In 1999 he visited Guyana on behalf of the National Democratic Institute to meet with political and civil society leaders to discuss political accommodation and constitution making 55 In 1997 he was appointed by UNESCO to the International Bioethics Committee to help with drafting the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights 56 He also spent 15 months in Kenya as a commonwealth judge and served on the Kenya Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board 57 In 2021 he served as a judge at the World Human Rights Moot Court Competition as part of the University of Pretoria s Mandela Day celebration in Geneva 58 As of August 2022 Sachs is a trustee for the Constitutional Hill Trust 59 the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation 60 and the Albie Sachs Trust for Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law 61 He also served on the International Cricket Council s Disciplinary Appeals Board for many years 56 62 Publications EditBooks Edit The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs 1966 Harvill Press ISBN 9780586090572 Stephanie on Trial 1968 Harvill Press ISBN 9780352329028 Justice in South Africa 1973 University of California Press ISBN 9780520026247 Protecting Human Rights in a New South Africa 1990 Oxford University Press ISBN 9780195706093 The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter 1990 Grafton ISBN 9780246136749 Advancing Human Rights in South Africa 1992 Oxford University Press ISBN 9780195708141 The Free Diary of Albie Sachs 2004 Random House The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law 2009 Oxford University Press ISBN 9780199605774 We the People Insights of an Activist Judge 2016 University of the Witwatersrand Press ISBN 9781868149988 Oliver Tambo s Dream Four Lectures 2017 African Lives ISBN 9780620779593Essays Edit Preparing Ourselves for Freedom Culture and the ANC Constitutional Guidelines 1991 TDR doi 10 2307 1146119 Tales of Terrorism and Torture The Soft Vengeance of Justice in Confronting Torture 2018 University of Chicago Press doi 10 7208 9780226529554 003As a co author Edit Sexism and the Law A Study of Male Beliefs and Legal Bias in Britain and the United States with Joan Hoff Wilson 1978 Free Press ISBN 9780855201265 Island in Chains Prisoner 885 63 Ten Years on Robben Island with Indres Naidoo 1982 Penguin Books ISBN 9780140060539 Spring is Rebellious Arguments about Cultural Freedom with Ingrid de Kok 1990 Buchu Books ISBN 9780958305716 Liberating the Law Creating Popular Justice in Mozambique with Gita Honwana Welch 1990 Zed Books ISBN 9780862329204Honours and awards EditYear Award Awarding Body Contribution Ref1991 Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards Sunday Times Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter 63 2006 President of South Africa Order of Luthuli in silver Excellent contributions 64 62 2006 President of Portugal Medal of Freedom citation needed 2009 Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award 65 11 2009 Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Reconciliation Award For realising reconciliation through his life and work 66 2010 Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards Sunday Times Strange Alchemy of Life and Law 63 2010 Ford s Theatre Society presented by Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lincoln Medal Human rights activism 67 62 2014 The Tang Prize Foundation Tang Prize Rule of Law for his many contributions to human rights and justice globally through an understanding of the rule of law in which the dignity of all persons is respected and the strengths and values of all communities are embraced 68 69 2014 University College Dublin Ulysses Medal Outstanding global contribution 70 2021 President of France Legion of Honour Contributions to human rights racial equality democracy and social justice 71 2022 Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Michelle Obama Clooney Foundation for Justice The Albies Lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of justice 72 Unknown President of Brazil Order of the Southern Cross 73 Unknown Lincoln s Inn Honorary Bencher 62 Unknown John Brunner Martin Luther King Memorial Prize Island in Chains with Indres Naidoo citation needed Unknown Harvard Law School Project on Disability HPOD HOPD Award for the Betterment of Humanity 74 Honorary degrees Edit Sachs holds honorary doctorates from the following universities York University 1994 21 75 University of Antwerp 2000 21 76 University of Cape Town 2006 3 77 University of Edinburgh 2007 78 Ulster University 2008 79 University of York 2010 80 Princeton University 2010 81 University of New South Wales 2010 82 University of Southern California 2011 83 Polytechnic University Maputo Mozambique 2011 84 University of Dundee 2012 85 University of London 2013 citation needed University of Strathclyde 2013 86 University of Aberdeen 2013 87 University of Witwatersrand 2014 88 62 University of Cambridge 2014 89 Wayne State University 2017 90 Michigan State University 2018 91 NOVA University of Lisbon 92 Columbia University 2019 93 University of Missouri 2019 94 University of Roehampton 2022 95 University of the Free State 96 University of Massachusetts Amherst 2022 97 University of Southampton Unknown date 21 University of Sussex Unknown date 17 William Mitchell College of Law Unknown date 98 21 Cultural recognition Edit The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs was dramatized by playwright David Edgar for the Royal Shakespeare Company and was televised by the BBC in 1981 99 In Allan Hutchinson s 2012 book Laughing at the Gods Great Judges and How They Made the Common law Sachs is listed as one of the greatest common law judges in history alongside Lord Mansfield John Marshall Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr James Atkin Tom Denning Thurgood Marshall and Bertha Wilson Hutchinson believes that Sachs life and career redefine what it means to be a lawyer and judge in a society that is grappling with the injustices of its past and ameliorating opportunities of its future 10 238 265 Abby Ginzberg directed and produced the 2014 documentary Soft Vengeance Albie Sachs and the New South Africa about Sachs life The film won a Peabody Award 100 101 The George Clooney Foundation for Justice established the Albie Awards to honour activists in different sectors all over the world Maria Ressa IACT Viasna Human Rights Centre and Josephine Kulea will be the award s inaugural recipients in September 2022 72 In 2022 Sachs was also featured the Netflix documentary Live to Lead 102 Personal life EditSachs married his first wife Stephanie Kemp a member of the African Resistance Movement ANC and SACP in 1966 They have two children Alan and Michael and divorced in 1980 103 She remained in London for another 10 years and worked as a physiotherapist specializing in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy before returning to South Africa 104 Sachs married urban architect Vanessa September in 2006 Their marriage was officiated by Justice Pius Langa They have one son Oliver Lukho u Thando September Sachs 105 Sachs describes himself as a very secular person who is respectful of others beliefs and is proud to identify as a Jew The Jews he identifies most with are Karl Marx Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud 106 107 References Edit a b Tuesday Takeover AFM 23 March 2021 The Vanished World of Lithuanian Jews 2004 edited by Alvydas Nikzentaitis Darius Staliunas Stefan Schreiner page 134 a b c Narrative Constitutional Court of South Africa n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Sachs Albie 1973 Justice in South Africa University of California Press a b c d Blackledge Richard 17 July 2019 How Albie Sachs survived car bomb to help Nelson Mandela build post apartheid South Africa The Yorkshire Post Gabriel Amakievi 2015 SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES IN AFRICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 1945 European Education Research Journal 1 13 1 9 a b c d Sachs Albie 2 February 1998 Suffering Survival and Transformation Conversations with History Interview Interviewed by Harry Kreisler Berkeley CA University of California Berkeley Retrieved 22 August 2022 Defiance Campaign 1952 South African History Online n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter South African History Online n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b c d e f Hutchinson Allan C 2012 Laughing at the Gods Great Judges and How They Made the Common Law Cambridge University Press Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Albie Sachs Academy of Achievement n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Sachs Albie Cornell Drucilla van Marle Karin 2014 Albie Sachs and Transformation in South Africa from Revolutionary Activist to Constitutional Court Judge Birbeck Law Press Battersby John 15 March 1990 ALBIE SACHS BIOGRAPHY The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 22 August 2022 Books Banned in South Africa Notes and Documents United Nations Centre Against Apartheid No 13 71 PDF Report United Nations Centre against Apartheid 1971 Archived from the original PDF on 30 January 2022 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Letter in support of Rowntree Charitable Trust published in The Times openDemocracy 1 April 2015 Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Justice Albie Sachs ConCourtBlog n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b JUSTICE ALBIE Constitutionalhill Retrieved 22 August 2022 Pete Stephen 2010 SOUTH AFRICA S QUIXOTIC HERO AND HIS NOBLE QUEST CONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUSTICE ALBIE SACHS AND THE DREAM OF A RAINBOW NATION Obiter 31 1 doi 10 17159 obiter v31i1 12374 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Kenny Peter 24 June 2014 Albie Sachs who lost arm in apartheid bomb blast S Africa needs to be on side of justice Ecumenical News Retrieved 22 August 2022 SOFT VENGEANCE ALBIE SACHS AND THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA Columbia University School of Arts via www youtube com a b c d e f g O Malley Padraig SACHS ALBERT LOUIS ALBIE Nelson Mandela Foundation Sachs A 2000 The soft vengeance of a freedom fighter Albie Sachs foreword by Desmond Tutu introduction by Nancy Scheper Hughes Berkeley Calif University of California Press Steinberg Carol Albie Sachs Our Shakespearian Fool TDR 35 no 1 1991 194 99 https doi org 10 2307 1146120 Khoza Sibonile ed 2007 Socio economic rights in South Africa 2 ed Community Law Centre University of the Western Cape 21 Aug 1992 Sachs Albie the O Malley Archives Corder Hugh 1994 Towards a South African Constitution The Modern Law Review 57 4 491 533 doi 10 1111 j 1468 2230 1994 tb01957 x JSTOR 1096553 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Judge Albert Louis Albie Sachs South African History Online Sachs Albie Oliver Tambo s Dream Four Lectures by Albie Sachs Cape Town African lives 2017 Sartorio Guillem 9 February 2022 Albie Sachs pillar of SA justice isn t afraid of riots ENCA Archived from the original on 7 March 2022 Retrieved 22 August 2022 THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ART COLLECTION Constitution Hill n d Retrieved 22 August 2022 Narrative Constitutional Court n d Archived from the original on 7 January 2006 Judicial Service Commission Interview with Prof Albert Louis Sachs Constitutional Court 4 October 1994 Archived from the original on 21 August 2006 OPINIONISTA Who killed Thami Zulu The evidence is clear but the ANC has done nothing to prosecute murder in its ranks 8 December 2021 Sachs Albie 6 January 2012 Constitutional Court Oral History Project PDF Interview Interviewed by Dennis Davis University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg Archived from the original PDF on 19 June 2015 ALBIE SACHS INTERVIEW CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ORAL HISTORY PROJECT PDF University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg 2012 Archived from the original PDF on 20 June 2015 August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others Southern African Legal Information Institute 1999 Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Sachs Albie 8 April 2017 Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SOUTH AFRICA versus MINISTER OF EDUCATION PDF Concourt 2000 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers CCT 53 03 2004 ZACC 7 2005 1 SA 217 CC 2004 Southern African Legal Information Institute Retrieved 23 August 2022 Minister of Home Affairs Director General of Home Affairs versus Marie Adriaana Fourie Cecelia Johanna Bonthuys with Doctors for Life International John Jackson Smyth The Marriage Alliance of South Africa PDF Concourt 2005 Retrieved 22 August 2022 O Regan Kate Minister of Home Affairs and Another v Fourie and Another O Regan J via Wikisource Albie Sachs on the Struggle for Same Sex Marriage Rights in South Africa University of Chicago Law School 30 April 2013 https www saflii org za cases ZACC 2005 7 html para 110 Sachs Albie The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law Oxford Oxford University Press 2011 page 130 138 9 Richard Gordon Volks NO versus Ethel Robinson Women s Legal Centre Trust Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development the Master of the High Court Togteher with Centre for Applied Legal Studies PDF Concourt 2005 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Case CCT 241 20 PDF Concourt 2021 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Kemp Jackie 30 June 2009 Life sentences The Guardian S v M CCT 53 06 2007 ZACC 18 2008 3 SA 232 CC 2007 12 BCLR 1312 CC 26 September 2007 Southern African Legal Information Institute 2007 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Alcock Sello Russouw Mandy 29 May 2009 Zuma s judges dilemma Mail amp Guardian Retrieved 23 August 2022 Integrity core to the Court says Sachs University of Cape Town 31 March 2010 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Soft Vengeance The story of Albie Sachs dead link Hughes Michael 8 September 2020 Sharing or Divisive history A reflection of Anger Atonement and Healing The Community Foundation A Pahad to host Sri Lankan delegation 23 Apr South African Government 22 April 2007 Rodriguez Garavito Cesar 2 November 2015 The soft vengeance of peace in Colombia OpenGlobalRights Assessment of Options in Guyana for Improving Law Making Capacity PDF National Democratic Institute 2 February 2001 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Albert Louis Sachs 1935 The Presidency Republic of South Africa Retrieved 23 August 2022 Case Search Kenya Law Retrieved 23 August 2022 Centre for Human Rights hosts Mandela Day in Geneva Centre for Human Rights University of Pretoria 29 July 2021 THE CONSTITUTION HILL TRUST Constitution Hill Trust Retrieved 23 August 2022 Trustees Oliver amp Adelaide Tambo Foundation Retrieved 23 August 2022 Albie Sachs Trust for the Rule of Law and Constitutionalism Tang Prize 5 May 2020 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c d e CITATION JUSTICE ALBIE SACHS University of Witwatersrand 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Alan Paton Readers Choice Award The Order of Luthuli The Presidency Republic of South Africa n d Retrieved 23 August 2022 All Honorees Academy of Achievement Retrieved 23 August 2022 Reconciliation Award The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Retrieved 23 August 2022 Xaso Lwandao 19 September 2020 Ruth Bader Ginsburg An ally of the South African Constitution Daily Maverick 法治獎得主 in Chinese Tang Prize 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2022 The Simple Power of a Hug Albie Sachs Moves Audience with his Story Tang Prize 5 May 2015 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Citation for Judge Albie Sachs former judge of the constitutional court of South Africa on receipt of the Ulysses medal on Thursday March 27 2014 PDF University College Dublin 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Mthethwa Cebelihle 19 November 2021 France honours former justice Albie Sachs with highest order of merit News24 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b O Regan Victoria 12 May 2022 Amal and George Clooney foundation honours Justice Albie Sachs for courageous work fighting for justice Retrieved 23 August 2022 Airlink CEO decorated Southern Africa s Travel News 17 January 2022 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Bowler Juliet 4 September 2018 For Immediate Release The Harvard Law School Project on Disability HPOD will bestow its fifth annual HPOD Award for the Betterment of Humanity Harvard Law School Project on Diability Retrieved 23 August 2022 Honorary Degree Recipients York University Retrieved 22 August 2022 Honorary degrees 2009 2000 University of Antwerp Retrieved 22 August 2022 December honorary doctorates University of Cape Town 16 October 2006 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Mary McAleese Justice Albie Sachs Lord Gill receiving an honorary degree from University of Edinburgh alamy 2007 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Honorary graduates Ulster University Retrieved 22 August 2022 University gives Albie Sachs an Honorary Degree Centre for Applied Human Rights University of York Retrieved 22 August 2022 Dienst Karin 1 June 2010 Princeton awards five honorary degrees Princeton University Retrieved 22 August 2022 Feneley Rick 14 September 2010 Judge preferred soft vengeance to forgiveness The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 22 August 2022 Past Recipients University of Southern California Retrieved 22 August 2022 Mozambique Albie Sachs Awarded Title Doctor Honoris Causa in the Country all Africa 2 October 2011 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Honorary Degrees University of Dundee Retrieved 22 August 2022 Nelson Mandela Lawyer Albie Sachs says people are grieving already BBC 2 July 2013 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Anti apartheid activist astrophysicist and academics among newest members of University family University of Aberdeen 26 June 2013 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Albie Sachs awarded honorary doctorate IOL 10 December 2014 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Selected Honorands University of Cambridge 22 February 2013 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Wayne Law Commencement honors 120 Wayne State University 18 May 2017 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Albie Sachs Awarded Honorary Doctorate from Michigan State University Pen South Africa 3 May 2018 Retrieved 22 August 2022 NOVA to grant Honoris Causa Doctorate to Judge Albie Sachs human rights activist NOVA University Lisbon 17 January 2018 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Lea Sadie 18 May 2019 Honors Convocation celebrates 1 520 graduates honorary degree recipients Columbia Missourian Retrieved 22 August 2022 Richey Lauren 18 May 2019 Albie Sachs holds up his honorary degree while standing next to MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright Columbia Missourian Retrieved 22 August 2022 Standing ovation for Justice Albie Sachs following conferral of Honorary Doctorate University of Roehampton London 6 April 2022 Retrieved 22 August 2022 Nombembe Philani 16 April 2022 Three ex judges to receive honorary doctorates from Free State university TimesLIVE Retrieved 22 August 2022 Blaguszewski Ed 27 April 2022 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED FOR UMASS AMHERST COMMENCEMENT University of Massachusetts Amherst Retrieved 22 August 2022 Davie Lucille 24 July 2018 On tour with judge Albie Sachs The Heritage Portal Retrieved 22 August 2022 The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs British Universities Film amp Video Council n d Retrieved 23 August 2022 Soft Vengeance Albie Sachs and the New South Africa Peabody Awards 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Soft Vengeance Albie Sachs and the New South Africa The Atlantic Philanthropies 11 July 2016 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Live to Lead Official Trailer Netflix YouTube Barkham Patrick 8 October 2011 Albie Sachs I can t tell my son everything The Guardian Retrieved 9 December 2016 Biography of Stephanie Kemp South African History Online 24 May 2016 Retrieved 9 December 2016 Lind Peter 9 December 2016 Cape Town slave descendants share stories of strength Aljazeera Retrieved 9 December 2016 The Litvak Legacy in South Africa amp Contemporary Culture Embassy of Lithuania in the UK 2021 Retrieved 23 August 2022 All posts by USAf Universities South Africa p 9 Retrieved 23 August 2022 External links Edit nbsp Wikisource has original works by or about Albie Sachs Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Albie Sachs in conversation for the Guarini Institute launch An interview with Albie Sachs by the Conversations with History program of the Institute of International Studies UC Berkeley Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Albie Sachs from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Interview with Justice Sachs on Chicago Public Radio s Worldview program Hear his talk The South African Court Looks At Same Sex Marriages The Fourie Case at the University of Chicago Interview with Albie Sachs on The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law The Law Report Australian Broadcasting Corporation On idealism passion and reason in South Africa Albie Sachs Speaks on The Forum Albie Sachs Freedom Collection interview Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Albie Sachs amp oldid 1179809493, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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