Dame Susan Glazebrook: Beyond the Bench

Susan Glazebrook is currently a Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and a former President of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). Her career has been nothing short of impressive, marked by critical efforts to advance judicial independence and gender equality. In the courtroom, this has been reflected in her jurisprudence on human rights and refugee advocacy, as well as on corporate, criminal, and tax-related litigation. Beyond the bench, her commitment to the legal field is evident in her work as a former commercial law firm partner, a lecturer at the University of Auckland, her active engagement on the international stage, and her longstanding dedication to expanding opportunities for others to connect with the law and with education.

Notably, during her presidency of the IAWJ, she played a pivotal role in supporting the evacuation of Afghan women judges after the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021.

In conversation with the IAWJ as part of the organization’s Justice Beyond the Bench podcast, Dame Glazebrook drew from her own experiences and research to shed light on the role courts play globally in maintaining jurisprudence during moments when the contexts in which they operate significantly threaten their ability to do so. She also explored the layers of intersectionality that shape the experiences of women judges worldwide, addressing the specific challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities they encounter.