Today, Seton Hall Law School is hosting a Guantanomo “Teach-In.” Here’s how the steering committee co-chairs, Mark Denbeaux and Alan Sussman describe the event: With more than 200 schools in at least 44 states already participating, "Guantánamo: How Should We Respond?” is an unprecedented collaborative effort of academia, journalism, religion, medicine and even the military in exploring the...
It’s bad enough that residents of Côte d’Ivoire face a continuing civil war with northern rebels, but now comes news of a massive environmental and health crisis in its capital city, Abidjan. Today’s New York Times details how a European-owned tanker’s waste water ended up being dumped in Abidjan suburbs, poisoning its residents. Eight have died and over...
In an issue near and dear to my heart, the Senate continues to demonstrate its willingness to defer to the Executive Branch on questions of when and how federalism should limit U.S. treaty-making. Last week, the Senate gave its advice and consent to the U.N. Corruption Convention. This multilateral treaty, which entered into force generally in...
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) celebrated its tenth anniversary last Monday. This week, ITLOS will host a formal ceremony and symposium in Hamburg to mark the occasion. But does ITLOS really have all that much to celebrate? I wonder whether members of the Tribunal might actually view its first ten years as...
What limits, if any, exist for the President’s ability to issue “signing statements” concurrently with his signature of a congressional bill? For example, can the President indicate that he’ll construe a statute to apply only where consistent with his view of his constitutional authorities? President Bush did just that with respect to the McCain Amendment; indicating he would...
I’m teaching my favorite class--International Law--again this fall. As usual, I’m also trying to find ways to fit a few new, important cases into my coverage (e.g., Sanchez-Llamas, Hamdan). Meanwhile, I see that Prawfsblawg has started an admirable “research canons” series to give young academics the research tools they need to do scholarship in particular areas (look for...
I have to say I disagree with Roger and John Knox about August’s case of the month. As important as I think the ATCA has become, I think the case Julian flagged last week--NRDC v. EPA—has far greater implications. Indeed, there’s already a fairly lengthy discussion of the case over at the Volokh Conspiracy (see here and here). ...
I hope readers have enjoyed the “virtual roundtable.” If you happen to be in Philadelphia for the APSA meeting, we’re hosting a happy hour tomorrow night from 5:30-7:30 at the Continental Midtown. The Continental Midtown is centrally located at 1801 Chestnut St. If you can't find us, ask the maitre d' to point out where the APSA happy...
I hope readers enjoy the “virtual roundtable” we’re hosting here at Opinio Juris this week in the run-up to the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) annual meeting. And, if you happen to be in Philadelphia for the APSA meeting, we’d like to invite you to a real roundtable of sorts. We’re hosting a happy hour on Friday night,...
As some readers may know, I’m a big fan of comparing how domestic actors, including courts, address international law. Of course, the trouble with comparative research has always been accessing materials from foreign jurisdictions. But, help may be on the way. The Amsterdam Center for International Law is working with Oxford University Press to launch a new...
U.S. Media Mogul Martha Stewart is still fighting over her use of insider information to sell a pharmaceutical company’s stock before bad news about the company’s prospects became public. It looks like the Chief of Staff for Israel’s Defense Force, Daniel Halutz, is in for a similar fight. Halutz is rejecting calls for his resignation after admitting...
For those who have not done so already, it’s time to readjust the ICJ’s win/loss column when it comes to state compliance with the World Court’s decisions. In 1994, Cameroon sued Nigeria over the land and maritime boundary between the two nation states. In particular, Cameroon claimed sovereignty over the Bakassi peninsula, an area rich in fisheries and...
