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Rosalyn Higgins, Lady Higgins
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Rosalyn Higgins, Lady Higgins

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The first woman elected to the International Court of Justice.

Problems and Process

Born
2 June 1937
Birthplace
London

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Rosalyn Higgins, Lady Higgins

British international lawyer who served on the ICJ from 1995 to 2009 and became its president. Her career also included scholarship and human-rights treaty work.

Early life

Legal education

Studied at Girton College, Cambridge, then completed advanced legal study at Yale in 1962.

Career

  1. 1978

    Kent professorship

    Became professor of international law.

  2. 1981–1995

    LSE

    Taught international law at the London School of Economics.

  3. 1995

    International Court

    Joined the ICJ.

  4. 2006

    Court president

    Was elected to lead the court for three years.

Selected work

Problems and Process

Examined international law and its practical use.

Beyond work

Family and public service

Married politician Terence Higgins in 1961. Served for fourteen years on the UN Human Rights Committee before joining the ICJ.

Sources & photo creditBiography and career ↗Biographical references ↗

Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.

Photo: Jeroen Bouman. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.