General

A couple of years ago, I examined whether popular conceptions of the current Bush Administration's disdain for treaties had quantitative support.  I found to my surprise that the Bush Administration did not appear to be concluding significantly fewer treaties (whether solely pursuant to Article II or to all forms of U.S. agreement-making combined).   Looking just at Article II treaty activity in...

I want to follow up Roger's post on law professor sign on amicus briefs with a really basic, genuinely naive question.  I am not a litigator and do not know very much about litigation.  I have never really understood the rationale behind courts accepting amicus briefs - law professor briefs, or any other kind.  I'm not putting this as a...

I'm up for tenure this year, which helps explain (I hope) in part my lighter-than-usual blogging of late.  One of the things that has come up in the process is how my home institution (Temple) compares to other law schools in terms of the timing at which tenure and promotion are offered.  Temple hires folks starting out in law teaching as...

My law school (Washington College of Law, American University), the ABA national security committee of the international law section, and the Federalist Society are putting on a one-day conference on Friday, September 19, from 10-4 pm, in DC, in case anyone is interested.  I unfortunately will not be there, though I am still listed on the program, but it has...

The legal blogosphere is all abuzz about a new study of faculty productivity at law schools outside the US News top 50.  Here, according to the study, are the top 10: San Diego, Cardozo, Florida State, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago-Kent, Missouri, UNLV, and Brooklyn. Some bloggers -- see here and here, for example -- think the study is a useful gauge...

In my original post, I recommended a number steps that Israel should take in order to contain the increasing terror activities emerging from East Jerusalem. I would like now to illuminate some of these. As noted in the original post, during the last seven years, the levels of terror activity in East Jerusalem have been significantly lower than those in the...

   On March 6, 2008, a Palestinian resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jebel Mukabber entered an Israeli religious seminary in West Jerusalem and opened fire on students with an automatic weapon, killing 7 (all but one under the age of 17) and injuring many more. On July 2, 2008, a Palestinian resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur...

Opinio Juris is pleased to welcome Daniel Seidemann as a guest blogger this week to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the future of Jerusalem. Daniel is the founder and legal advisor for Ir Amim, a non-profit, non-partisan association dedicated to an equitable, stable and sustainable Jerusalem. Ir Amim (“City of Nations” or “City of Peoples”) was founded in...

Tom, Thanks for that cordial response.  I did not mean to give offense, but wanted to be direct about my perception. I'm also under pressure for something else, so I won't go on for too long.   On the Israel-Palestinian conflict and its role in defining neoconservatism and, more broadly, the book's thesis overall.  I take your writing very seriously indeed, always...

Among several fascinating themes in Farer and Kris Boon dialogue has been the detention and trial of accused terrorists.  Governments that feel besieged frequently depart from peace-time standards.  Their lawyers and diplomats try to justify the departures.  And some arguments are better than others.  But rarely does the public have the opportunity to weigh in on whether to depart from...