Leading liberal judge and human rights campaigner, born in Boksburg, NE South Africa. He studied at the the University of Witwatersrand, was called to the bar, and practised as a commercial advocate in Johannesburg. In 1980 he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa. He developed an interest in the less powerful members of society and the rights of the individual. He particularly concerned himself with the rights of prisoners and prison conditions, visiting many thousands of prisoners and detained people in South Africa. He was appointed Chairman of the South African Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Public Violence and Intimidation (19904), which became a watershed in legal history by revealing the truth about the mass violence in South African townships, and restored public confidence in the country's legal system. He served as Chief Prosecutor at the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague against former Yugoslav and Rwanda nationals accused of crimes against humanity (19946). Since 1994, he has been a Justice of the South African Constitutional Court. His insistence that victims should be given a fair hearing has distinguished his career as an international human rights lawyer.
Early life
Richard J.
Official photo of Justice Goldstone:
Judge and Justice
South Africa
Richard J. Goldstone served nine years as a justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which was entrusted with the task of interpreting the new South African Constitution and supervising the country’s transition into democracy.
Argentina
He was a member of the international panel established in August 1997 by the government of Argentina to monitor the inquiry into Nazi activity in the republic since 1938.
Kosovo
Goldstone was chairperson of the International Independent Inquiry on Kosovo established in 1999.
South African honors
Served as national president of the National Institute of Crime Prevention and the Rehabilitation of Offenders (NICRO);
Member of Volcker Commission
In April 2004, he was appointed by Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to the Independent International Committee, chaired by Paul Volcker, to investigate the Iraq Oil for Food program.
The Goldstone Commission: Defusing apartheid
Before taking a seat on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Goldstone served as chairperson of the Standing Commission of Inquiry Regarding Public Violence and Intimidation—later known as the Goldstone Commission in South Africa.
Chief UN Prosecutor in Yugoslavia and Rwanda
From 1994 to 1996, Goldstone served as the chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda.
Author
Goldstone is the author of numerous articles on international humanitarian law.
Awards and honorary degrees
In 1994, Goldstone received the International Human Rights Award of the American Bar Association and in 2005 he received the Thomas J.
Professor
Goldstone is presently a Global Visiting Professor of Law at New York University School of Law.
Family
He is a married jewish South African (wife Noleen) and has two married daughters - Glenda and Nicole.
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