In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Recent Posts

02 Mar

The most popular recent international article posted on SSRN is by Ernst-Ulrich Petersmann of the European University Institute. It is entitled "State Sovereignty, Popular Sovereignty and Individual Sovereignty: From Constitutional Nationalism to Multilevel Constitutionalism in International Economic Law?" and is available for download here. Definitely worth a read. Here is the abstract: This paper discusses the basic constitutional problem of...

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01 Mar

Like Julian, I do not believe that the ICC's involvement in Darfur is in any way a panacea for the region's ills. And I am concerned that the Prosecutor has summonsed (at this point) only one high-ranking official in the Sudan's government, overlooking the complicity of Sudan's President, Omar El Bashir, and Vice-President, Ali Osman Taha, in the Darfur...

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01 Mar

Actress and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has a useful and intelligent op-ed in today's Washington Post arguing in favor of international criminal justice in Darfur. But she's wrong or at least misguided. And she is not alone. Here is her argument: Until the killers and their sponsors are prosecuted and punished, violence will continue on a massive scale. Ending it may...

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01 Mar

We are all aware of the use of environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) to address environmental considerations as a key factor in deciding on the appropriateness of beginning new projects. Well, there is now movement afoot to develop a similar approach for international human rights. A "Human Rights Impact Assessment" (HRIA) would mean that multinational corporations should...

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28 Feb

In a landmark — and admirably progressive — decision, the Supreme Court of Mexico had held that dismissing HIV+ soldiers from the military is unconstitutional:In a case brought by 11 members of the military, the court declared unconstitutional a law requiring naval officers and soldiers with HIV/AIDS to leave the armed forces. Following the decision, Mexico's armed forces will have to...

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28 Feb

Important and exciting ICC news to report: Japan's Cabinet has expressed its desire for Japan to join the ICC. Although the Diet has to pass the necessary legislation, no significant opposition is expected. The following is an excerpt from the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in favor of the move:The JFBA adopted the Resolution Calling for Japan's Proactive Involvement in...

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28 Feb

Other blogs have posted information on the new and lateral faculty hires this season. See Concurring Opinions here for lateral hires and Legal Theory Blog here for entry level hires. But none of this information provides details on the legal specializations of any of these hires. So we would like to provide our readers with information on...

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27 Feb

According to the very slick site greatfirewallofchina.org, Opinio Juris can be read in China -- unlike Wikipedia, Amnesty International, the State Department's "democracy" page, the Economist, and Armani. We'll have to try harder. H/T: FP Passport. ...

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27 Feb

Last month I posted a story about a decision coming out of Indiana that required the non-custodial parent to be subject to supervision during parental visitations. The reason the court issued the order was due to fears that the American-Egyptian father would flee with the child to Egypt and never return. The comments generated by the post were some of...

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27 Feb

As advertised, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has released the ICC's first two indictments arising out of its investigation of war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan. As the BBC reports, the ICC has named Ahmad Muhammad Harun, former Minister of State for the Interior of the Government of the Sudan and the current Minister...

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