President Mandela appointed Edwin Cameron a judge in 1994. He served 25 years as a judge, including in South Africa’s highest court.
After retiring, President Ramaphosa appointed him Inspecting Judge of prisons, where he served for six years (2020-2025). A human rights lawyer under apartheid, Cameron helped secure the historic inclusion of sexual orientation in South Africa’s Constitution.
His two prize-winning memoirs, Witness to AIDS (2005), and Justice: A Personal Account (2014). His latest book, Behind Prison Walls: Unlocking a Safer South Africa (2025), is cowritten with two of his law clerks.
In 2023, the President of Botswana appointed him a non-resident member of the Court of Appeal.