معرفی
Justice Albie Sachs, a retired judge from the Constitutional Court of South Africa, served as the first Richard and Ann Pozen Visiting Professor in Human Rights at the University of Chicago. His career integrates human rights activism, constitutional law, and legal advocacy, rooted in his contributions to South Africa's democratic transition.
Sachs's research and professional work emphasize human rights frameworks, legal advocacy, and constitutional democracy. His course and public lecture series at the University of Chicago drew upon his personal experiences and his book, Reason and Passion: The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law, to explore the interplay between law and social justice.
A prominent anti-apartheid activist, Sachs began his human rights work at 17 as a law student in Cape Town, participating in the Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign. He later defended individuals charged under apartheid-era laws and moved into exile in 1966, spending 22 years abroad as a law professor and researcher. In 1988, he was injured in a bombing by South African agents, which cost him an arm and his eyesight in one eye. Upon returning to South Africa in 1990, he contributed to the ANC and constitutional negotiations. Appointed to the Constitutional Court in 1994 by Nelson Mandela, he served until retiring in 2009.
