page_title: Constitutional Court of South Africa
section_title: Former justices
hierarchical_section_title: Constitutional Court of South Africa / Justices / Former justices
caption_attribution_description: English: Constitutional Court of South Africa at Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
context_page_description: The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa. It was originally the final appellate court for constitutional matters. Since the enactment of the Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution in 2013, the Constitutional Court has jurisdiction to hear any matter if it is in the interests of justice for it to do so.
  The Court was first established by the Interim Constitution of 1993, and its first session began in February 1995.
  It has continued in existence under the Constitution of 1996. The Court sits in the city of Johannesburg. After initially occupying commercial offices in Braamfontein, it now sits in a purpose-built complex on Constitution Hill. The first court session in the new complex was held in February 2004.
  The Constitutional Court consists of eleven judges who are appointed by the President of South Africa from a list drawn up by the Judicial Service Commission. The judges serve for a term of twelve years. The Court is headed by the Chief Justice of South Africa and the Deputy Chief Justice. The Constitution requires that a matter before the Court be heard by at least eight judges.
context_section_description: Justice John Didcott (born 1931, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1995, died in office in 1998)
  Justice Ismail Mahomed (born 1934, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1995, elevated to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 1998, died in 2000)
  Justice Richard Goldstone (born 1938, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2003)
  Justice Johann Kriegler (born 1932, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2003)
  Justice Lourens Ackermann (born 1934, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2004)
  Justice Tholie Madala (born 1937, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2008, died in 2010)
  Justice Yvonne Mokgoro (born 1950, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2009)
  Justice Kate O'Regan (born 1957, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2009)
  Justice Albie Sachs (born 1935, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1994, retired in 2009)
  Justice Zak Yacoob (born 1948, appointed by Nelson Mandela in 1998, retired in 2013)
  Justice Thembile Skweyiya (appointed by Thabo Mbeki in 2003, retired in 2014, died in 2015)
  Justice Johann van der Westhuizen (appointed by Thabo Mbeki in 2004, retired in 2016)
  Justice Bess Nkabinde (appointed by Thabo Mbeki in 2006, retired in 2018)
  Justice Edwin Cameron (appointed by Kgalema Motlanthe in 2009, retired in 2019)
  Justice Johan Froneman (appointed by Jacob Zuma in 2009, retired in 2020)
caption: The courtroom of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
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