Ihsan Barakat
Ihsan Zuhdi Barakat (born 1964) is a Jordanian jurist who was the country's first female Attorney General and the first woman appointed to the country's Supreme Court in 2017.
Early life and education
Barakat's mother was a teacher.[1] She graduated from the University of Jordan in 1986.[2]
Career
Barakat set up her own law firm in 1988, attracting high profile clients including the Central Bank of Jordan.[3] She was appointed as a judge in 2002 at the Court of First Instance in Amman and transferred to the Appeals Court in 2004.[3] She also served as director of the Directorate of International Relations at the Ministry of Justice for nine months in 2004-2005.[3][2]
Barakat was a judicial inspector and a judge at the Amman Court of Appeal.[1] In May 2007, she was appointed to the position of Chief of Court of the Court of First Instance in West Amman, the first woman to hold such a position.[4][5] Barakat was a founding member and president of the Arab Women's Legal Network, which was formed in 2005 with the backing of Queen Rania.[1] She is a member of the Executive Board of the Jordanian National Commission for Women and the Higher Council of the Jordanian National Forum for Women.[2]
In December 2010, Barakat was appointed as the country's first female Attorney General, supervising sixty district attorneys, including only one other woman,[6][7] and representing the government in the court of appeals.[8] At the time she said, "The position will put to a test women's capabilities ... Some of my peers were angered by my appointment."[8]
Barakat was appointed to the Supreme Court in September 2017, making her the first woman to reach the highest position in the country's judiciary.[9] In January 2018, she was appointed as a judge in the Cassation Court, the judicial authority over all Jordanian courts.[10] At the same time, Prime Minister Hani Mulki issued a circular to all ministries and institutions to ensure gender equality in vacant positions.[10]
Personal life
Barakat has two daughters,[8] one of whom is studying law in London.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Pudney, Harriet (17 September 2017). "Jordan now has its first female Supreme Court judge". Emirates Woman. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ a b c "Judge Ihssan Barakat".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b c Hindi, Linda (29 May 2007). "First Woman Appointed as Chief of Court in Jordan". The Jordan Times. American Bar Association. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "First woman chief of court for Jordan". IOL. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ Smail Salhi, Zahia (2013). Gender and Violence in Islamic Societies: Patriarchy, Islamism and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa. I. B. Tauris. p. 118.
- ^ "Jordan names first woman chief district attorney". The Jerusalem Post. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "Jordan Names First Woman Chief District Attorney". Fox News. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ a b c Pretorius, Richard (28 December 2010). "Jordan's female attorney general challenges tradition". The National UAE. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "Barakat promoted to highest Judicial Council rank". The Jordan Times. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Barakat becomes first female Cassation Court judge". The Jordan Times. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.