'At the time I really believed that an Islamic Republic would bring us independence and liberty." The time was 1978 and the belief belonged to Shirin Ebadi, then a 31-year-old judge on the Tehran city court. So strong was her revolutionary fervor that she helped storm the justice ministry, one of many acts of revolt that eventually toppled the shah and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as Iran's supreme leader.

"What would happen to our beloved Iran? No one knew," Ms....