Ricardo Lorenzetti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ricardo Luis Lorenzetti
President of the Supreme Court
In office 1 January 2007 – 1 October 2018
Nominated by	Néstor Kirchner
Preceded by	Enrique Petracchi
Succeeded by	Carlos Rosenkrantz
Minister of the Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 December 2004
Nominated by	Néstor Kirchner
Preceded by	Adolfo Vázquez
Personal details
Born	(1955-09-19) 19 September 1955 (age 69) Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
Education	National University of the Littoral (LLB, JSD)

Ricardo Luis Lorenzetti (born 19 September 1955) is an important Argentine judge. He studied at the National University of the Littoral in Argentina. He has had a long and successful career both in Argentina and around the world.

From 2007 to 2018, he was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Argentina. He was chosen for this role by President Néstor Kirchner. He started as a Justice on the Supreme Court in December 2004.

During his time as Chief Justice, the Supreme Court became very modern. It started to handle "class actions," which are lawsuits brought by a large group of people. The Court also created new ways to be open and clear, like the CIJ, a news agency that shares information about the justice system. They also set up special offices to help protect people, especially women, from violence.

In 2011, he led a group that worked to update and combine Argentina's main laws about civil and business matters. Since 2020, he has also been a board member for an organization in Washington, D.C., called the Inter-American Institute on Justice and Sustainability (IIJS).

Education and Legal Studies

Ricardo Lorenzetti became a lawyer after studying at the National University of the Littoral in Santa Fe, Argentina. He started his studies in 1974 and finished in July 1978.

He also earned a higher degree, becoming a Doctor in Legal and Social Sciences from the same university. He received this advanced degree in December 1983. His special research for this degree was about the legal responsibility of doctors.

Important Roles and Awards

Ricardo Lorenzetti has held many important positions and received several awards for his work. He is known for his efforts in environmental justice and for helping to improve legal systems.

Here are some of his key roles and honors:

• He is part of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment, which works on environmental law around the world.
• He led the group that updated Argentina's Civil and Commercial Codes, which are important laws for daily life and business.
• The Organization of American States (OAS) named him a Goodwill Ambassador for Environmental Justice in the Americas in 2016.
• He helps lead a United Nations program focused on justice and law for environmental protection.
• He has received many "Doctor Honoris Causa" degrees from universities in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. This is a special honor given to people who have made great contributions.
• He was given the B'nai B'rith Human Rights Award in 2010.
• He is a member of several important legal academies in Argentina and other countries like Peru and France.
• He has taught law at the University of Buenos Aires and many other universities in Argentina.
• He has also given lectures at famous universities in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, including Columbia, Yale, and the University of Salamanca.

Books and Publications

Ricardo Lorenzetti is a very active writer and has published many books and articles on legal topics. He has written more than 30 books and over 300 articles in specialized magazines.

Some of his important books include:

• Environmental Law (2018), which he wrote with Pablo Lorenzetti.
• Collective Justice (2010, updated in 2017), which discusses how groups of people can bring lawsuits together.
• The Art of Making Justice (2015), which talks about difficult cases in the Supreme Court.
• Theory of Environmental Law (2008), which has been published in several countries.
• Theory of Judicial Decision (2005), which explains how judges make decisions.

His books have been translated into other languages, like Portuguese, and are used by legal experts in many countries.

His Work in the Supreme Court

During his time on the Supreme Court of Argentina, Ricardo Lorenzetti introduced many changes to make the justice system better and more open.

Here are some of his main achievements:

• He made the Court focus on the most important cases that affect many people. He also started public hearings, where people could see and hear the Court's discussions for the first time.
• He created the Judicial Information Centre (CIJ) in 2008. This is a news agency for the justice system, making it easier for everyone to understand what the courts are doing.
• He helped create long-term plans for the justice system, which was a new idea.
• He set up a special group to improve how the courts are managed. They worked on things like making electronic payments easier and speeding up cases for retired people.
• He started the Commission for Access to Justice. This group helps people solve problems without always needing to go to court. As part of this, an office was opened to help with domestic violence cases.
• He worked to connect the Supreme Court of Argentina with courts around the world, including those in G20 countries and other parts of the Americas. This helped share ideas and improve justice globally.
• He started the tradition of the "State Opening of the Judiciary" each year since 2008. This is where the plans for the justice system for the upcoming year are announced.
• He helped reorganize how the Court was run, including its social work and medical services, to make them more transparent and accountable.

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo Lorenzetti para niños