The Board of Managerial Trustees (BMT) of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is pleased to announce that the IAWJ-Uganda Chapter is the recipient of the Judith C. Chirlin Memorial Scholarship Fund for the 16th Biennial Conference to support the travel of two Uganda judges who are registered to attend the Conference.
With the passing of the Honorable Judith C. Chirlin in November 2022, the IAWJ lost a powerful advocate for its work to support and empower women judges around the world to advance gender equality and human rights. In honor of Judge Chirlin’s dedication to the growth of the global network of women judges and opportunities for judicial exchange, the BMT of the IAWJ established the Chirlin Memorial Fund to provide support to judges attending the 16th Biennial Conference in Marrakech, Morocco (May 11-14, 2023).
“Judge Judy”, as she was affectionately called, served on the Los Angeles Superior Court from 1985 to 2009. She was instrumental in the growth and guidance of the IAWJ and, at the time of her passing, was a valued member of the IAWJ’s Board of Managerial Trustees (BMT). Judge Chirlin was the architect of the (US) National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) International Judges program; she developed critical relationships with judicial sector stakeholders which led to the active participation of women judges from around the world at both NAWJ and IAWJ annual and biennial conferences.
The Board of Managerial Trustees is delighted to support the attendance of the following esteemed IAWJ-Uganda Members in memory of Judge Chirlin. Their bios can be found below.
Lady Justice Bamugemereire, Catherine Elizabeth Khakasa, Justice of Appeal
Catherine is a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Uganda/ Constitutional Court who has demonstrated courage and tenacity beyond the call of duty and ability to work under enormous pressure. Catherine has handled groundbreaking areas of law by several Chairing Commissions of Inquiry, handling Constitutional Cases, Anti-Corruption and Electronic Fraud and Family Law practice. Catherine has had a longstanding and illustrious judicial career of 29 years which is juxtaposed by international experience. Apart from working on four continents she has been able to straddle the various disciplines of law including criminal, Anti-Corruption, Commercial, Civil and Family Law. In each of these areas the learned Judge has left landmark decisions. The Lady Justice has been a recipient of international awards. She was awarded the Global Leadership Award in 2016 and the Global Alumni Award from her LL.M Alma Matter Southern Methodist University.
Hon. Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire was called to the Uganda High Court bench as High Court Judge in 2010 and is currently a Justice of the Constitutional and Court of Appeal of Uganda. Holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from Makerere University, a master’s degree in Comparative Laws (LLM) from the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas Texas USA. Joined the Public Sector in 1993 as State Attorney in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and later crossed to the bench as Magistrate of the first Grade rising to the position of Chief Magistrate of the white-collar criminal court in Uganda. Catherine is married to George Bamugemereire and they have two adult children, 29years and 25years
Lady Justice Nyondo Nabisinde, Winifred, Judge of High Court
DR. WINIFRED NYONDO NABISINDE (Ph.D) was appointed Judge of the High Court of Uganda in July 2013 and has served in various parts of the country since then. She is a holder of Doctor of Philosophy from the Graduate Research Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom and a Master of Arts (MA) Governance and Development, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, Brighton, United Kingdom. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Prior to joining the High Court bench, she was Associate Dean of Law, Kampala International University. In her early years after Law School, she worked as a magistrate grade one and rose to the rank of Principal magistrate grade one before proceeding to U.K for further studies. Winifred is an active member of the IAWJ Uganda Chapter; and the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda).