By Isabelle Raquin

Robert Badinter, a French lawyer, politician, and author, widely known across the Atlantic for his powerful advocacy and activism against the death penalty, died last week in France. Here in the United States, his death has largely gone unnoticed outside of the capital defense community. Still, there are few, if any, in France who do not recognize his name and mourn the loss of his voice. As the homages have poured in over the last several days, I wanted to share my thoughts as a French native and attorney about the legacy of a man whose accomplishments in the fields of human rights and civil liberties demonstrate the full potential of the art of advocacy.