Higgins, Rosalyn (1937– )

English judge and lawyer. Having developed an early interest in United Nations law, she became the UK representative on the UN Committee on Human Rights in 1985. In 1995 she became a judge in the International Court of Justice, the first woman to be so honoured. Her publications include Problems and Process: International Law and How We Use It (1995).

After studying at Cambridge and Yale universities, Higgins became a staff specialist in international law at the Royal Institute of International Affairs 1963–74. She was made professor of international law at the University of Kent at Canterbury in 1978, and moved to chair the London School of Economics 1981–95. In 1986 she was appointed QC (Queen's Counsel).