Douglas Scott (judge)
Douglas Scott | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal | |
| In office 1 January 1996 – 2008 | |
| Judge of the Cape Provincial Division | |
| In office 8 June 1989 – 31 December 1995 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Graham Scott 19 January 1941 Simon's Town, Cape Province Union of South Africa |
| Children | Helen Scott |
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town |
Douglas Graham Scott (born 19 January 1941) is a retired South African judge who served in the Supreme Court of Appeal between 1996 and 2008. Formerly an advocate in Cape Town, he joined the bench in 1989 as a judge of the Cape Provincial Division.
Early life and career
[edit]Scott was born on 19 January 1941 in Simon's Town, Cape Town.[1] After matriculating at Wynberg Boys' High School in 1958, he attended the University of Cape Town, where he completed a BA in 1962 and an LLB in 1964.[2] While a student, he worked briefly as a clerical assistant at the magistrate's court in Cape Town.[2]
He was admitted as an advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa in May 1965 and worked as a government prosecutor in Pretoria and Bellville until the end of 1966. Thereafter he returned to Cape Town to complete his articles at the firm of Findlay and Tait, gaining admission as an attorney in December 1968.[1][2] He practised as an attorney for less than a year before returning to practice as an advocate in August 1969, now at the Cape Bar.[1] He took silk on 18 November 1986.[1]
Judicial career
[edit]Scott joined the judiciary on 8 June 1989 as a judge of the Cape Provincial Division of the Supreme Court.[1] On 1 January 1996, he was elevated to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.[2] He was appointed to the appellate court by the first post-apartheid president, Nelson Mandela, and he remained on the court after it was reformed into the post-apartheid Supreme Court of Appeal.
His notable judgments in the court included Sea Harvest Corporation v Duncan Dock Cold Storage, an important 1999 decision in the law of delict.[3] He also wrote for the court in Durban's Water Wonderland v Botha.
Scott retired from the South African judiciary in 2008.[4] Thereafter he served as a judge, and ultimately as acting president, of the Lesotho Court of Appeal.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Scott is married to Gillian Scholtz.[2] Their daughter, Helen Scott, is a legal academic.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Bekker, P. M. (November 1989). "Bench and bar: New appointment". De Rebus. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "The judiciary: New judge of appeal". Consultus: 19. May 1996. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Scott, Johan (2000). "The Definition of Delictual Negligence Revisited: Three Recent Judgments of the Supreme Court of Appeal". De Jure. 33: 358.
- ^ "History". Supreme Court of Appeal. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ a b Scott, Helen; Scott, Douglas (2015). "Looking Back to Look Forwards". Responsa Meridiana. University of Cape Town. Retrieved 30 April 2025.