Bad news for transparency at the WTO. The United States has issued a press release announcing that a WTO panel session in the dispute between the EU and the US over trade restrictions on civilian aircraft will be made available to the public for viewing by videotape. The hearing will be videotaped and then after the panel confirms that...
At the middle school where my children attend they offer three modern foreign languages: Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese. Rarely does a parent of a pre-teen have the opportunity to directly influence their future career opportunities, not to mention personal enlightenment, so dramatically as when we encourage them to take several years of this language or that language. In making...
If you ever wondered what your carbon footprint number was, you can calculate it here. What is most remarkable is that if this calculator is correct, it is not what you drive but how often you fly that really impacts your carbon footprint. (7.5 tons per year is the average). Thus, you can drive a Toyota Prius...
Continuing the discussion on the establishment of a domestic national security court, be sure to check out Amos Guiora's post over at National Security Advisors law blog outlining his recent article forthcoming in the Catholic University Law Review on a "domestic terror court." The article is very useful because it takes a comparative approach that examines the practices of...
At least if they are blogging about baseball. Amazing success story about a blogger impacting the pitching strategy of Seattle Mariner's Felix Hernandez. Baseball blogger writes open letter to Mariners' pitching coach. Coach shows letter to Hernandez. Hernandez adjusts pitching and throws no-hitter in eight innings. (Tip: Michael Froomkin) Would that we could somehow measure success with...
Louis Renault (1843-1918), one of the founders of modern international law in France, once commented that "the small nations ...
In today's New York Times, Jack Goldsmith and Neal Katyal have an interesting op-ed proposing that Congress create a special Article III "national security" court that would oversee a comprehensive system of preventive detention. Nearly six years after 9/11, the government’s system for detaining terrorists without charge or trial has harmed the reputation of the United States, disrupted alliances,...
China sentenced Zheng Xiaoyu, former drug and food safety chief, to death yesterday for corruption. He was convicted of taking $850,000 in bribes from eight companies. The Chinese high court reportedly ruled that "Zheng Xiaoyu's grave irresponsibility in pharmaceutical safety inspection and failure to conscientiously carry out his duties seriously damaged the interests of the state and people." Amnesty...
A WTO dispute panel recently rendered an important decision on the right of a developing country to ban imports of products that promote the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, and dengue. Although it dealt with the prosaic issue of the importation of tires, the case represents a useful precedent outlining the measures that a country...
A federal district court in Indiana has rendered an important decision last week involving claims of international labor violations under the ATS. In the case of Roe v. Bridgestone, plaintiffs allege numerous violations of international law, including forced labor, forced child labor, poor working conditions, and low wages. According to the complaint, rubber plantation workers in Liberia are paid between...
Here is a festive report about one of the early historical records of a Fourth of July celebration, as recounted in the Virginia Gazette on July 18, 1777: Yesterday the 4th of July, being the Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America, was celebrated in this city with demonstration of joy and festivity. About noon all the armed...
Remember the historic U.S.-Soviet summits from the 1980s? You could almost feel the Cold War thawing and the global warming in international relations. That's why I love this quote from Sarah Mendelson at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Q: Why do you think the American public should be interested in this summit? Mendelson: I...
