Carmen Argibay
Carmen Argibay | |
|---|---|
 Carmen Argibay | |
| Minister of the Supreme Court | |
| In office 3 February 2005 – 10 May 2014 | |
| Nominated by | Néstor Kirchner |
| Preceded by | Guillermo López |
| Succeeded by | Vacant (seat abolished) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1939 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | 10 May 2014 (aged 74) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Alma mater | University of Buenos Aires |
Carmen María Argibay (15 June 1939 – 10 May 2014) was a member of the Supreme Court of Argentina. She was the first woman to be nominated for the Court by a democratic government in Argentina, and caused some controversy upon declaring herself an atheist and a supporter of legal abortion.
Early life
Born in Buenos Aires, Argibay studied at the Law Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, becoming a lawyer on 11 June 1964. She worked in a number of public judicial offices and taught in several universities, until 1976. On 24 March of that year, a coup d'état started the dictatorship of the National Reorganization Process. The military junta had her arrested, without formal charges, and held her in prison until December. After being released she devoted herself to private law practice.
After the return of democratic rule, on 7 June 1984, she was appointed judge in a criminal court in Buenos Aires. She was promoted in 1988 and again in 1993, and finally retired from her post on 1 January 2002.
Argibay is a member of the International Association of Penal Law, and a founding member of the International Association of Women Judges, over which she presided from 1998 to 2000. She also founded the Association of Women Judges of Argentina.
She took part as a judge in the
In June 2001 she was appointed ad litem judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Nomination to the Supreme Court
Argibay was one of the first Justices who entered the Argentine Supreme Court when
Argibay's nomination met resistance from some sectors of society, particularly
When the nomination was made public, a number of conservative voices criticized her for her atheism and her stance on abortion; a Catholic organization complained that Argibay, who is single and childless, was "not representative of Argentine women." To these criticisms, Argibay replied, "I believe that saying up front who one is or what one thinks is an indication of honesty, which is the first step towards impartiality. My beliefs, or lack thereof, should not interfere in the judicial decisions I take."
Argibay was awarded the 2007 Gruber Prize for Justice (shared with Chilean judge Carlos Cerda and Peruvian lawyer Mónica Feria Tinta) for her promotion of gender equality and eliminating corruption within the justice system.[1]
She died on 10 May 2014 after suffering respiratory, cardiac and intestinal problems.[2][3]
Notes
References
- IPS News. Single Woman, Atheist, Heads to Seat on High Court.
- Cyborg Democracy. Support for pro-choice Argentine judge (translation from La Nación newspaper article).
- Human Life International. Open Letter to the President of the Republic of Argentina.
- (in Spanish) Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina. Carmen Argibay's CV.
- (in Spanish) Página/12. 20 March 2004. El pliego de Argibay comienza la cuenta regresiva en el Senado.
- (in Spanish) Página/12. 8 July 2004. Final laico para un debate más que teológico.
- (in Spanish) Clarin. 22 April 2008. Internaron de urgencia a la jueza de la Corte Carmen Argibay
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