Notre Dame Alumna Carmen Haydeé López ‘20 LL.M. Runs for Congress in Honduras | News | The Law School

Two women smile in an office. One with long dark hair, red lipstick, and a gray suit over a red top stands next to another wearing glasses, a black collared shirt, and hair pulled back. Bookshelves and a world map are behind them. — *Carmen Haydeé López ‘20 LL.M. and Professor Diane Desierto*

Carmen Haydeé López ‘20 LL.M., a human rights advocate, is campaigning to become a deputy in the National Congress of Honduras, running for the Libertad y Refundación (LIBRE) party in the department of Francisco Morazán. Her bid for office coincides with Honduras’s general elections on November 30, 2025.

López’s campaign centers on a bold promise: to bring social justice, gender equality, and institutional transparency to Honduras through legislative reform. Her message reflects years of grassroots legal work and public service—work that, she says, prepared her to “do it once as vice minister of the republic, and do it again from the National Congress of Honduras.”

Before arriving at Notre Dame, López built an extensive career in human rights work. She served as a legal advocate for families of disappeared migrants, worked with women’s organizations across Honduras, and contributed to community initiatives focused on education, legal literacy, and access to justice. Her work led her to be selected as the Central America Coordinator for Women’s Link International, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing women’s rights through strategic litigation and legal advocacy.

At Notre Dame Law School, López deepened her training in international law and human rights. She often reflects on how transformative the LL.M. experience was for her professional and personal development. “All the privileges, all the opportunities we have here—this once-in-a-lifetime experience—can be applied to our countries in a way that improves the well-being of others,” she said. “We were trained to do something for others, not just for ourselves.”

López frequently speaks about the influence of her professors at Notre Dame, especially Professor Diane Desierto, director of the LL.M. in International Human Rights Law program. She credits Desierto with helping shape her understanding of the human element behind legal work. “What I admire the most is that she’s able to awaken curiosity and self-reflection in her students,” López said. “She transported us to a specific case and showed us the human part of litigating a cause, not just a case. That’s an ability not all lawyers have.”

Two women smile broadly as they look at a small black framed object. The woman on the left wears a gray pantsuit and red top. The woman on the right wears a black collared dress and glasses.

“Those of us in this line of work think of our students who are now holding the torch, and I see that in Carmen. She is holding the torch in Honduras. She has worked so hard in the Justice Ministry and has changed many things on the ground,” said Desierto. “Carmen has been completely dedicated to building her country. And of course, Notre Dame is so proud of her. We are extremely proud and extremely supportive of Carmen.”

Beyond Desierto’s influence on López, Professor Paolo Carozza’s course “Jurisprudence: Foundations of Human Rights” sharpened her human rights advocacy, offering a framework to examine international human rights law through deeper jurisprudential inquiry.

Drawing on her training from Notre Dame Law School, López is now advancing a platform aimed at expanding equality of opportunity and rebuilding trust in the country’s legal and political institutions. Central to her proposals is the idea of creating a “democracy for the economy,” which seeks to ensure that economic opportunities are accessible to all Hondurans, not just a select few.

López also advocates for a Ley de Justicia Tributaria (Tax Justice Law), a clearer and more accessible system for community-level dispute resolution, and a comprehensive law that identifies and recognizes all types of violence experienced by women. “We must unite the private and public sectors for the benefit of the majority,” she said. “Underprivileged people should have the same educational and career opportunities as anyone else.”

As she campaigns throughout the Francisco Morazán region, López draws heavily from the values she says were strengthened at Notre Dame: integrity, public service, and the belief that law must serve the common good. Her message has resonated among supporters, who see in her a new generation of leadership grounded in empathy and unwavering discipline.

As the November 30 election in Honduras approaches, her candidacy already embodies a core pillar of Notre Dame Law School’s mission: educating lawyers who become ethical leaders committed to integrity, justice, and the dignity of all people.