Pascal-Trouillot has served as a lawyer, writer, teacher, and Supreme Court justice. During the
Duvalier dynasty, she became Haiti’s first female judge when she was appointed to the Court of First Instance. In 1986, the then-Minister of Justice, François Latortue, appointed Pascal-Trouillot to the Supreme Court, making her the first woman to serve on that court.. While serving as Chief Justice, she became the country’s provisional president on March 13, 1990, assuming responsibility for organizing a general election. She oversaw generally peaceful elections that brought Jean-Bertrand Aristide to the presidency with 67% of the vote. Working behind the scenes, Pascal-Trouillot oversaw a committee that helped manage both the affairs of the country and the electoral process. She reportedly received support from the army, but after Aristide’s victory, she was arrested and charged with involvement in a coup. There was never conclusive proof linking her to the coup. Due to alleged U.S. intervention, she was released within a day. She subsequently stepped away from active politics and left Haiti. Pascal-Trouillot later returned to Haiti but largely remained out of the public eye. Since then, she has been compiling the history of Haiti. As Provisional President, Pascal-Trouillot’s primary task was to guide Haiti toward early elections in coordination with a 19-member Council of State, which held veto power over her decisions. She oversaw the council’s operations to avert conflict and fulfill her duties to serve the public. She also announced the reopening of schools, which had been closed for over a week due to protests against the military rule of Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril. Pascal-Trouillot steered Haiti through its initial transition from dictatorship to a new democracy with free elections. She worked with Karl Auguste on a commission to revise Haiti’s civil and penal codes following the collapse of the Duvalier regime. According to an article in “L’union Suite,” Haiti’s democracy, while fragile, has endured through additional coups d’état, economic hardships, and natural disasters. In the wake of Pascal-Trouillot’s leadership, more women began running for important offices—including positions as senators, deputies, ministers, and even the presidency. ==Personal life==