Rosalie Abella: Putting Law Back in the Service of Humanity

"Putting Law Back in the Service of Humanity," a lecture by Rosalie Abella.

About the Speaker

Justice Abella is known for her pathbreaking decisions to enforce civil rights in Canada and for her lectures and writings on employment equity, disability, racial and gender justice, and First Nations rights. Awarded 42 honorary degrees, she is an elected member of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

After her parents survived Nazi concentration camps, Abella was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1946; her family was allowed to enter Canada in 1950. After practicing both civil and criminal law in Ontario, Abella was appointed to the Ontario Family Court at age 29—the youngest and the first pregnant judge in Canadian history. She went on to be the first refugee and the first Jewish woman ever appointed to the Canadian Supreme Court in 2004. Her extensive and innovative work on judicial independence, human rights, and democracy is particularly pertinent today.

Parking Information

Parking near the venue will be available for $5 in the Lower Campus Parking Structure (Zone 20). See map.

Event sponsor: William S. Richardson School of Law

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Kaiāulu by Kamehameha Schools, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and the UH Foundation.

Series sponsors include the Learning Coalition and the Ulupono Initiative.

Host or Publisher Better Tomorrow Speaker Series