Born on 3 November 1941 in Tunis, Tunisia

• Counsellor of State (from1966)
• Member of the French Conseil d’État
• Judge (elected in respect of France) at the European Court of Human Rights (1 November 1998 to 3 November 2011)
• Vice-President of Section (November 1998-1999)
• President of Section (2000-2007)
• Vice-President of the Court (2001-2007)
• President of the Court from 19 January 2007 to 3 November 2011
• Former President of the International Institute of Human Rights René Cassin (January 2012 to April 2021)
• Secondary education at lycée Carnot of Tunis and lycée Henri IV in Paris (1951-1958)
• Certificate of general classical literary studies (1959)
• Diploma of the Institute of Political Studies of Paris (1961)
• Master in Law, Faculty of Paris (1962)
• Diploma of Superior Studies (post-graduate), Public Law (1964)
• Student at the National School of Administration (ENA) (Montesquieu Promotion) (1964-1966)
• Appointed as Auditeur at the Conseil d’État (1 June 1966)
• Doctor of Laws from the University of Toulouse ( 2017)