Nicole Belloubet

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Nicole Belloubet
Nicole Belloubet in 2018
Minister of National Education
Assumed office
8 February 2024
Prime MinisterGabriel Attal
Preceded byAmélie Oudéa-Castéra
Minister of Justice
In office
21 June 2017 – 6 July 2020
Prime MinisterÉdouard Philippe
Preceded byFrançois Bayrou
Succeeded byÉric Dupond-Moretti
Member of the Constitutional Council
In office
14 March 2013 – 21 June 2017
Appointed byJean-Pierre Bel
PresidentJean-Louis Debré
Laurent Fabius
Preceded byJacqueline de Guillenchmidt
Succeeded byDominique Lottin
Member of the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Council
In office
26 March 2010 – 13 March 2013
Deputy Mayor of Toulouse
In office
21 March 2008 – 26 March 2010
PresidentPierre Cohen
Personal details
Born (1955-06-15) 15 June 1955 (age 68)
Paris, France
Political partyIndependent (2017–present)
Other political
affiliations		Socialist Party (1983–2013)
SpousePierre-Laurent Frier (died 2005)
Children3
Alma materPanthéon-Assas University
Pantheon-Sorbonne University
WebsiteCouncil website

Nicole Belloubet (born 15 June 1955) is a French jurist and politician who has been serving as Minister of National Education in the government of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal since 2024.[1]

A former member of the Socialist Party (PS), Belloubet served as Minister of Justice in the government of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe from 21 June 2017 to 6 July 2020;[2][3] she had been appointed by President Emmanuel Macron following the resignation of François Bayrou.[4] She previously served on the Constitutional Council, to which she was appointed in 2013 by Jean-Pierre Bel, President of the Senate.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Belloubet was born to an engineer from a modest farming family and the manager of a small Parisian hotel.[6]

Academic career[edit]

Belloubet began her career in teaching before becoming, at the age of 42, rector of the University of Limoges. She served in that office between 1997 and 2000 before becoming rector of the Academy of Toulouse until 2005.[7] In 2005, she resigned from her post to protest against decisions made by the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin which wanted to reduce the number of teachers, among other reforms.[8]

Political career[edit]

Belloubet joined the Socialist Party (PS) in 1983.[9]

From 2000 to 2005, Belloubet chaired the French government's Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee for the Promotion of Gender Equality in the Education System. In particular, she drafted reports on "the future of the lycée" (2002) and on "combating gender-based and sexual violence in schools" (2001). She has also written on secularism and co-education in schools.[10]

In parallel to her teaching, Belloubet later pursued a career in local politics, in particular as first deputy to the Socialist Mayor of Toulouse, Pierre Cohen, between 2008 and 2010. In 2010, she became regional councillor for Midi-Pyrénées, of which she was also first vice-president.[11]

On 12 February 2013, Belloubet was appointed by Jean-Pierre Bel, President of the Senate, to serve on the Constitutional Council for a nine-year term, succeeding Jacqueline de Guillenchmidt.[12] She became the first woman professor of law appointed to the Constitutional Council, and the seventh female member of the institution.

As Minister of Justice, Belloubet's first major project was to steer through the legislative process two bills on public ethics that were meant to help clean up national politics after hard-fought debates over a clause scrapping lawmakers’ constituency funds, which critics argued encourage clientelism.[13] Internationally, she made headlines in 2019 when she publicly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for European allies to repatriate hundreds of Islamic State fighters from Syria and instead announced that France would be taking back militants on a “case-by-case” basis.[14]

In early 2020, the Mila affair erupted over a 16-year-old girl insulting Islam on social media and then receiving violent threats. Belloubet was scrutinised for having erroneously said that insulting religion is against "freedom of conscience" in French law. She later corrected herself on the matter.[15][16][17]

Controversy[edit]

When she joined the government in June 2017, Belloubet omitted to declare part of her shares in several real estate assets, including a house in Aveyron and two apartments in Paris.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Belloubet was married Pierre-Laurent Frier, professor of public law at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, until his death in 2005. The couple had three sons.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dominique Vidalon (8 February 2024), Macron replaces embattled education minister with former justice minister Belloubet Reuters.
  2. ^ "Gouvernement Castex en direct : Darmanin nommé ministre de l'intérieur, Dupond-Moretti garde des sceaux et Bachelot à la culture". Le Monde.fr (in French). 6 July 2020.
  3. ^ Michel Rose and Marine Pennetier (21 June 2017), France's Macron taps relative unknowns in government reshuffle Reuters.
  4. ^ Anne-Sylvaine Chassany (21 June 2017), Macron loses four ministers in a week Financial Times.
  5. ^ Johannès, Franck (21 June 2017). "Nicole Belloubet, une professeure de droit au ministère de la justice". Le Monde.fr (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. ^ Mariana Grépinet (3 February 2018), Nicole Belloubet, le calme après la tempête Paris Match.
  7. ^ Qui est Nicole Belloubet, la nouvelle garde des Sceaux ? Le Point, 21 June 2017.
  8. ^ Mariana Grépinet (3 February 2018), Nicole Belloubet, le calme après la tempête Paris Match.
  9. ^ Mariana Grépinet (3 February 2018), Nicole Belloubet, le calme après la tempête Paris Match.
  10. ^ Qui est Nicole Belloubet, la nouvelle garde des Sceaux ? Le Point, 21 June 2017.
  11. ^ Qui est Nicole Belloubet, la nouvelle garde des Sceaux ? Le Point, 21 June 2017.
  12. ^ Qui est Nicole Belloubet, la nouvelle garde des Sceaux ? Le Point, 21 June 2017.
  13. ^ Emile Picy (9 August 2017), France's parliament approves bill to clean up politics Reuters.
  14. ^ Richard Lough and Caroline Pailliez (18 February 2019), France snubs Trump's appeal to repatriate IS fighters en masse, for now Reuters.
  15. ^ "Affaire Mila : Belloubet regrette «l'inexactitude» de ses propos sur la critique de la religion". Le Parisien (in French). 8 February 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  16. ^ Lepelletier, Pierre (30 January 2020). "Affaire Mila : Nicole Belloubet admet son «erreur» et défend le droit de blasphème". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Affaire Mila. La ministre Nicole Belloubet regrette « l'inexactitude » de ses critiques". Ouest-France (in French). 8 February 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  18. ^ Guillaume Errard (22 January 2018), Ces ministres qui ont (sensiblement) sous-évalué leur patrimoine immobilier Le Figaro.
  19. ^ Mariana Grépinet (3 February 2018), Nicole Belloubet, le calme après la tempête Paris Match.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Member of the Constitutional Council
2013–2017 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Justice
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
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