Louise Arbour considers judicial independence today

Nov. 05, 2008

What: A talk by Louise Arbour, Former Supreme Court Justice of Canada, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

When: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Location: International Lounge, Usdan

In her keynote address, Louise Arbour will speak about judicial independence, resting in part on express ethical rules, continuing legal education, and an effort at self-governance. The talk, which is free and open to the public, is cosponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and the Legal Studies Department.

"Louise Arbour is the ideal person to deliver the keynote address for a gathering of US, Canadian, and international judges," said Leigh Swigart, Director of Programs in International Justice and Society. First, she has experience in the domestic judicial system of her own country. Second, she has carried out important work in the international sphere, both at the Yugoslav Tribunal and as UN Human Rights Commissioner. We look forward to hearing her reflections on the international judiciary, a topic that is at the heart of the work the Center does through its Brandeis Institute for International Judges."

It is the featured address of the North American Judicial Colloquium, organized by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life. The Colloquium includes U.S. and Canadian judges as well as judges from international courts with human rights, criminal, and inter-state dispute resolution jurisdictions. The event is part of the Brandeis Judicial Colloquia, including the West African Judicial Colloquia, which foster an exchange of experience and expertise between judges in national judiciaries and those on international courts, and establish an ongoing dialogue on fundamental issues that affect them both.

Read articles by Louise Arbour:

• on resistance to discrimination

• on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• on advocacy for the International Criminal Court (ICC)

• excerpts from Louise Arbour's statement charging President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia and four others with crimes against humanity