Justice Kate O'Regan: Shaping justice and equality in South Africa
Loading player...
Constitutional Court Judge Kate O'Regan shares her journey from growing up in apartheid-era South Africa to becoming a champion of human rights, labour law, and land rights.
Justice O'Regan reflects on her early exposure to social injustices and her transition from journalism to law. She discusses her work with trade unions and communities facing eviction, her appointment to the Constitutional Court in 1994, and the power of law to drive change, even within restrictive systems. She also explores the challenge of ensuring laws have real-world impact and the ongoing struggle against inequality in South Africa.
Justice O'Regan shares insights into landmark cases, including the certification of the 1996 Constitution and New National Party v Government of the Republic of South Africa. Now the director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at Oxford, she reflects on her continued commitment to justice, equality, and the evolving role of international institutions like the ICJ in addressing global conflicts.
00:41 Early life and influences of Judge Kate O'Regan
02:01 Journey into law and activism
04:03 Focus on Labour Law and land rights
06:06 Challenges and achievements in legal practice
14:28 Reflections on the Constitutional Court
19:36 Significant judgments and legal philosophy
31:43 Current work and perspectives on human rights
35:29 Continuing activism and hope in new generation
36:37 South Africa vs. Israel: The ICJ case
39:31 Concluding thoughts and legacy
More about Kate O’Regan:
Professor Kate O’Regan served as one of the first judges of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (from 1994 – 2009) and as an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court of Namibia (from 2010 – 2016). Since 2016, she has served as the inaugural Director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights in the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford. She has also served (and continues to serve) as a judge on several international tribunals and on the boards of NGOs working in the fields of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and equality. Her research is in the fields of comparative constitutional law and human rights. She is the chairperson of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, a director of SAFLII npc and a member of the Oversight Board Trust.
Image credit: Mandela Rhodes Foundation
Justice O'Regan reflects on her early exposure to social injustices and her transition from journalism to law. She discusses her work with trade unions and communities facing eviction, her appointment to the Constitutional Court in 1994, and the power of law to drive change, even within restrictive systems. She also explores the challenge of ensuring laws have real-world impact and the ongoing struggle against inequality in South Africa.
Justice O'Regan shares insights into landmark cases, including the certification of the 1996 Constitution and New National Party v Government of the Republic of South Africa. Now the director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at Oxford, she reflects on her continued commitment to justice, equality, and the evolving role of international institutions like the ICJ in addressing global conflicts.
00:41 Early life and influences of Judge Kate O'Regan
02:01 Journey into law and activism
04:03 Focus on Labour Law and land rights
06:06 Challenges and achievements in legal practice
14:28 Reflections on the Constitutional Court
19:36 Significant judgments and legal philosophy
31:43 Current work and perspectives on human rights
35:29 Continuing activism and hope in new generation
36:37 South Africa vs. Israel: The ICJ case
39:31 Concluding thoughts and legacy
More about Kate O’Regan:
Professor Kate O’Regan served as one of the first judges of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (from 1994 – 2009) and as an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court of Namibia (from 2010 – 2016). Since 2016, she has served as the inaugural Director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights in the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford. She has also served (and continues to serve) as a judge on several international tribunals and on the boards of NGOs working in the fields of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and equality. Her research is in the fields of comparative constitutional law and human rights. She is the chairperson of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, a director of SAFLII npc and a member of the Oversight Board Trust.
Image credit: Mandela Rhodes Foundation
