International Law Prof Blog

U.S. Senate Action on International Issues

On Tuesday March 23, 2010, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee will mark up several bills, including these:

• S. 1382 (to improve and expand the Peace Corps);
• S. 2839 (to amend the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations to assist programs and centers that treat torture victims); and
• S Res. 409 (calling on members of the parliament in Uganda to reject the "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" that imposes the death penalty on gay and lesbian persons in Uganda)

The mark-up session will be on March 23, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. in S-116 of the Capitol.  SEE UPDATE BELOW

(mew)

UPDATE:  This meeting has been postponed. Click here for more information.

International Jessup Rounds Start Tomorrow!

The White & Case International Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition begin on Sunday, March 21, 2010 in Washington, D.C.  The competition finishes with the World Championship Round on March 27, 2010.  Click here for more information.

(mew)

ICTR Appellate Chamber Affirms Conviction of Singer for Incitement to Genocide

The Appellate Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has affirmed the conviction and 15-year sentence of a famous Rwandan singer and composer for his role during the mass killings that engulfed the country in 1994.  

Simon Bikindi was a former singer, composer, and leader of a ballet troupe.  In 2008, he was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda of a single count of direct and public incitement to commit genocide based on public exhortations to kill Tutsis, which he made on the Kivumu-Kayove road in Gisenyi prefecture in late June 1994.  This week the Appellate Chmaber dismissed his appeal from that conviction.

(Adapted from a UN Press Release)

(mew)

Would Failure on the Doha Round Lead to Other Failures?

World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy has warned in a speech made in Costa Rica  that “the Doha Round is not an island in a sea of alternative opportunities — failure on Doha would spill over into other present and future cooperation efforts, and not only in the trade policy domain. In our joined-up world, countries simply cannot go their own way and disregard the costs of neglecting international cooperation.”  Click here for the full speech.

(mew)
  

The Hague Convention and International Child Custody and Jurisdiction

Professor Cindy Buys and I are among the speakers appearing in a March 26, 2010 program in Chicago on the subject of "Divorce, Deportation, and Disciplinary Complaints: Avoiding Immigration Pitfalls in Family Law."  The program is sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association Section on International and Immigration Law. 

Click here for more information about the program.

(mew)

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Falun Gong Resolution by Vote of 412-1

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H. Res. 605, a resolution that recognizes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the People's Republic of China.  The resolution, which passed by a vote of 412-1, marks the 10th anniversary of suppression of the Falun Gong movement.  The resolution also calls for an end to the campaign to persecute, imprison, and torture practitioners of Falun Gong.

Hat tip to the ABA Government Afffairs Office

(mew)

Results of the 2010 Stetson International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

The 14th Annual Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition finished this past weekend.  More than 75 teams competed in regionals in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.  The top 18 teams from nine countries were invited to Stetson for the International Finals.  Professor Royal Gardner reports that the moot was fantastic moot, thanks in part to the support of the ABA Section of International Law and the International Environmental Law Committee.  Below are the results of this year’s competition. 

 

· International Finals Champion: University of Maryland School of Law

· Runner-up:  Law Society of Ireland, Cork

· Semifinalists

o   China University of Political Science and Law

o   Law Society of Ireland, Dublin

· Quarterfinalists   

o   National Law University, Jodphur, India

o   University of Ghana, Legon

o   Wake Forest University School of Law

o   University of California, Hastings College of Law 

 

· Memorials

o   Best memorial: Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

o   Runner-up memorial:  University of Maryland School of Law

o   Third place memorial: Wake Forest University School of Law 

o   Fourth place memorial: University of California, Hastings College of Law 

 

· Top oralists in the Preliminary Rounds

o    (1) Lyndsey Clarke, Law Society of Ireland, Cork

o    (2) Christie Joy Bacal, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

o    (3) Laila Machado de Almedia, Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil

o    (4) Adimazoya Theodore Nse, University of Ghana

o    (5) Kartikey Mahajan, National Law University, Jodhpur

o    (6) Rashi Ahooja, National Law University, Jodhpur

o    (7)  Katya Busol, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

o    (8)  Bo Li, China University of Political Science and Law

o    (9) Leeja Patel, University of California, Hastings College of Law

o    (10) Amanda Moore, Law Society of Ireland, Cork

 

· Spirit of Stetson Award: Faculty of International Law, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

 

Hat tip to Professor Royal C. Gardner, Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

 

(mew) 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is some information about the long standing ties between the United States and Ireland.  The United States' close relationship with Ireland is based on ancestral ties and shared values. Trade between the United States and Ireland is an important part of that relationship.  The following economic data is taken from the U.S. State Department website:

"In 2008, U.S. exports to Ireland were valued at $8.65 billion, while Irish exports to the U.S. totaled $31.35 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics. The range of U.S. exports includes electrical components and equipment, computers and peripherals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, and livestock feed. Irish exports to the United States represent approximately 20% of all Irish exports, and have roughly the same value as Irish exports to the U.K. (inclusive of Northern Ireland). Exports to the United States include alcoholic beverages, chemicals and related products, electronic data processing equipment, electrical machinery, textiles and clothing, and glassware. Irish investment in the United States steadily increased during the economic boom times. Ireland is one of the top twenty sources of foreign direct investment in the U.S., with Irish food processing firms, in particular, expanding their presence."

"As of year-end 2008, the stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in Ireland stood at $146 billion, more than the U.S. total for China, India, Russia, and Brazil--the so-called BRIC countries--combined. Currently, there are approximately 600 U.S. subsidiaries in Ireland, employing roughly 100,000 people and spanning activities from manufacturing of high-tech electronics, computer products, medical supplies, and pharmaceuticals to retailing, banking, finance, and other services. In more recent years, Ireland has also become an important research and development (R&D) center for U.S. firms in Europe."

(cgb)

International Law Weekend - New York

Click here for a reminder about the upcoming deadline on the call for panels to be presented at the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) International Law Weekend in New York this fall.

(mew)

7th Annual International Conference on Law in Athens, Greece

The Law Research Unit of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER) has announced its 7th annual international conference on law to be held in Athens, Greece 19-22 July 2010.  The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars and students of law and other related disciplines.  The registration fee is 250 euro, which includes access to all sessions, lunches, coffee breaks, and conference materials.  Special arrangements will be made with local hotels for a group of rooms.  In addition, a number of special events will be arranged including a one-day cruise of the Greek islands, an evening of Greek entertainment, and a half-day archeological tour. 

Interested persons may organize a panel, present a paper, or chair or observe a session.  Papers (in English) from all areas of law are welcome.  Selected papers will be published in a special volume of conference proceedings or edited books as part of ATINER's book series.  Abstracts of 300 words should be submitted by email no later than 22 March 2010 to Professor David Frenkel, Head, Law Research Unit, ATINER, Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki 10671, Athens, Greece.  Abstracts should include name, association, title of paper, email address, and at least three words that descrbe the subject of the submission.  Announcements of the decisions will be made within four weeks.

There are also opportunities to participate without presenting a paper, such as chairing a session, reviewing proposals, and editing published works.  Persons interested in these opportunities should contact Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, Director, ATINER.  More information about the conference can be found on the conference website.

(cgb)

75,000 Visits to the International Law Prof Blog

This week we will celebrate having more than 75,000 visits from readers in more than 100 countries.  We are proud of our global readership and thank you for your continued support.  Please continue to send us news of important international law developments in your countries.

1. Albania

2. Algeria

3. Argentina

4. Australia

5. Austria

6. Azerbaijan

7. Bahamas

8. Barbados

9. Belarus

10.  Belgium

11.  Belize

12.  Botswana

13.  Brazil

14.  Brunei Darussalam

15.  Bulgaria

16.  Cambodia

17.  Cameroon

18.  Canada

19.  Chile

20.  Colombia

21.  Costa Rica

22.  Cote D'Ivoire

23.  Croatia

24.  Cuba

25.  Cyprus

26.  Czech Republic

27.  Denmark

28.  Egypt

29.  Estonia

30.  Ethiopia

31.  Finland

32.  France

33.  The Gambia

34.  Georgia

35.  Germany

36.  Ghana

37.  Greece

38.  Grenada 

39.  Haiti 

40.  Hungary

41.  Iceland

42.  India

43.  Indonesia

44.  Ireland

45.  Islamic Republic of Iran

46.  Israel

47.  Italy

48.  Jamaica

49.  Japan

50.  Jordan

51.  Kenya

52.  Kuwait

53.  Latvia

54.  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

55.  Lithuania

56.  Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

57.  Malaysia

58.  Malta

59.  Mexico

60.  Morocco

61.  Nepal

62.  Netherlands

63.  New Zealand

64.  Nigeria

65.  Niue

66.  Norway

67.  Palau

68.  Panama

69.  People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau)

70.  Peru

71.  Philippines

72.  Poland

73.  Portugal

74.  Qatar

75.  Romania

76.  Russia

77.  Samoa

78.  Saudi Arabia

79.  Senegal

80.  Serbian and Montenegro

81.  Singapore

82.  Slovakia

83.  South Africa

84.  Spain

85.  Sri Lanka

86.  Sudan

87.  Sweden

88.  Switzerland

89.  United Republic of Tanzania

90.  Taiwan

91.  Thailand

92.  Togo

93.  Trinidad and Tobago

94.  Tunisia

95.  Turkey

96.  United Arab Emirates

97.  United Kingdom

98.  United States of America

99.  Uruguay

100.   Vanuatu

101.   Venezuela

102.   Vietnam

Thank you all for visiting the International Law Prof Blog.

Mark, Cindy, Cyndee, Laurent, and Mike

Call for Presentations: Central States Law Schools Association

The Central States Law Schools Association (CSLSA) has announced the date for its 2010 Annual Meeting and has issued a call for paper presentations.  The annual meeting will be held at the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks, ND on September 24-25, 2010.  CSLSA invites law faculty of all disciplines to submit proposals to present papers or works in progress.  And, although CSLSA is a regional association, it welcomes participation from law faculty from outside the region. In the past few years, CSLSA has had some excellent presentations by international law scholars, as well as many others.

The purpose of CSLSA is to foster scholarly exchanges among law faculty across legal disciplines.  The annual CSLSA conference is a forum for legal scholars, especially more junior scholars, to present working papers or finished articles on any law-related topic in a relaxed and supportive setting where junior and senior scholars from various disciplines are available to comment.  More mature scholars have an opportunity to test new ideas in a less formal setting than is generally available for their work.  Mentoring by more senior scholars is also available to junior scholars.

There is no registration fee for participants from CSLSA member schools.  In addition, CSLSA subsidizes the cost of travel for presenters for member schools.  For more information on how to join CSLSA, contact the Treasurer, Carolyn Dessin, through the CSLSA website.  To submit a paper proposal, send an abstract or précis of no more than 500 words to the CSLSA Secretary, Wes Oliver, at Widener University School of Law by August 31, 2009. 

(cgb)