Steven Arnold Majiedt (born 18 December 1960) is a judge of the

Constitutional Court of South Africa The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme court, supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general jurisdiction. The Court was fi ...

and formerly served on the country's Supreme Court of Appeal and as an acting judge on the Constitutional Court. He is best known for his judgment in '' National Commissioner of the SAPS v Southern Africa Litigation Centre'',''National Commissioner of The South African Police Service v Southern African Human Rights Litigation Centre and Another'
(2014) ZACC 30
which pioneered

universal jurisdiction Universal jurisdiction is a legal principle that allows states or international organizations to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person regardless of where the alleged crime was committed, and regardless of the accused's nationality, ...

and was a focal precedent in the scandal over the South African government's failure, in violation of an ICC

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and domestic court order, to arrest Omar al-Bashir.

Early life and education

Majiedt was born in

Kenhardt Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area. History On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a po ...

and matriculated in 1978 at the William Pescod High School in

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

. He obtained a BA (Law) degree in 1981 followed by an

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

in 1983, both from the University of the Western Cape.

Career

In 1984, Majiedt joined the Cape

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and in the same year that he began practicing as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

, he was awarded the

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

to complete an

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. He however declined the offer. From 1997 until 1999, Majiedt joined the Northern Cape Premier’s Office as the Chief State Law Advisor. He then returned to practice as an advocate at the Northern Cape Bar, and in 2000, he was appointed as a judge in the Northern Cape High Court. Ten years later, in 2010, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal and on 11 September 2019, Majiedt was appointed by the President Cyril Ramaphosa, to the Constitutional Court.

References

1960 births Living people Judges of the Constitutional Court of South Africa South African judges {{SouthAfrica-law-bio-stub