Stevan Majiedt
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Steven Arnold Majiedt (born 18 December 1960) is a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa 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 arrest warrant 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. 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 People's Republic of Chi ...
in 1983, both from the
University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a public research university in Bellville, near Cape Town, South Africa. The university was established in 1959 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only. Other un ...
.


Career

In 1984, Majiedt joined the Cape
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and in the same year that he began practicing as an advocate, he was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship 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 ...
at Stanford University. 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 Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
, to the Constitutional Court.


References

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