Robert Badinter

Vocation

French lawyer and politician. He earned his bachelor's and law degree in 1947-48 and earned his master of arts at Columbia University in 1949. He subsequently earned his doctorate of law at the Paris School of Law. From 1951 until 1981 he practiced law at his own firm. In 1966 was appointed Professor of Law. One of his more famous cases was when he defended Patrick Henry who had been charged with the abduction and murder of a seven-year-old boy. Badinter convinced judge and jury to give Henry life imprisonment instead of the death sentence. He has taught at several universities including the Sorbonne. He retired from academia in 1994. In 1981 he was appointed by then-President Mitterand to be Minister of Justice. He advocated strongly for the abolition of the death penalty. In March 1986 he was appointed to the highest court of France. Five years later in 1991, he joined the Arbitration Commission on matters related to Yugoslavia. He was elected President of the Commission. Link to Wikipedia biography