After he joined the bench of the higher court permanently in February 2004, Skweyiya developed a reputation as a progressive justice with a particular interest in children's rights.
[2] His family, originally from the Cradock region of the Eastern Cape, was politically active during apartheid;[3] his younger brother, Zola Skweyiya, was a prominent activist and later became a member of cabinet.
[5] He later recounted that it was Griffiths Mxenge, his friend and a prominent human rights lawyer, who told him to "do your LLB and then you can be a learned doctor.
[2] His activist clients included Griffiths Mxenge, Oscar Mpetha, Jeff Radebe, Sibusiso Zondo (the perpetrator of the 1985 Amanzimtoti bombing), and Zeph Mothopeng and the other defendants of the 1979 Bethal terrorism trial.
[9] Instead of taking up the post of Inspector-General, Skweyiya pursued a hiatus in the corporate sector, becoming a director of several different South African companies.
[2] Skweyiya was viewed as reluctant to join the bench permanently,[7][11] until he did so on 1 February 2001,[2] taking up a seat in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court.
[2] While an acting justice, he wrote the Constitutional Court's landmark judgement in Du Toit v Minister for Welfare and Population Development, which granted same-sex couples the right jointly to adopt children.
[14] Following another set of Judicial Service Commission interviews in October 2003, Mbeki announced on 7 January 2004 that he would appoint Skweyiya permanently to the Constitutional Court.
[15] He joined the bench on 1 February 2004;[15] he and Johann van der Westhuizen filled the vacancies created by the retirement of Justices Laurie Ackermann and Richard Goldstone.
[5][7][11] He also wrote the majority judgement in Joseph v City of Johannesburg, which expanded the duty of the state to satisfy residents' socioeconomic rights.
[12] His seat on the Constitutional Court remained vacant for over a year amid a scramble for women candidates;[19] Nonkosi Mhlantla was finally appointed in December 2015.