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Full-Text Articles in Law
Gender-Specific Prison Reform: Addressing Human Rights Violations Against Women In Russia's Prisons, Courtney M. Skiles
Gender-Specific Prison Reform: Addressing Human Rights Violations Against Women In Russia's Prisons, Courtney M. Skiles
Washington International Law Journal
Russia currently incarcerates women in conditions that amount to human rights violations. Women incarcerated in Russia’s prisons experience not only oppression and abuse common to all those incarcerated in Russia, but also gender-specific harms. While Russia has signed on to many pivotal human rights treaties, it also has a long history of mass incarceration of its people. Today, the prison conditions for women in Russia reveal a need for reform. Reformers are challenged by a powerful State that has not prioritized the type of reform necessary to eliminate further harms done to incarcerated women. To ensure the rights of women …
Introduction: The Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Disaster And The Future Of Nuclear Energy Programs In Japan And East Asia, Hiroshi Fukurai
Introduction: The Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Disaster And The Future Of Nuclear Energy Programs In Japan And East Asia, Hiroshi Fukurai
Washington International Law Journal
On March 11, 2011, a massive 9.0 magnitude quake and powerful tsunami slammed the northeastern region of Japan. Huge seismic activities knocked out the power at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, and ensuing tidal waves disabled the backup generators for cooling systems to the active reactors. This triggered a series of hydrogen explosions and released dangerously high levels of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The Japanese government declared a nuclear emergency, due to the worst nuclear crisis in Japanese history, and decided to evacuate 140,000 residents within twenty kilometers of the plant to various relocation centers
Corporate Liability, Government Liability, And The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, Eri Osaka
Corporate Liability, Government Liability, And The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, Eri Osaka
Washington International Law Journal
This article focuses on the liability issues arising from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The radioactivity released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant inflicted catastrophic harm to people, industries, and the environment. Under Japanese law, a nuclear operator bears strict, channeling, and unlimited liability for nuclear damage unless the damage is caused by a grave natural disaster of an exceptional character. This article concludes the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that triggered this nuclear accident do not fall within this exemption because neither of them were unforeseeable nor far beyond the design basis for the reactors at the plant. …
Alternative Dispute Resolution Design In Financial Markets—Some More Equal Than Others: Hong Kong's Proposed Financial Dispute Resolution Center In The Context Of The Experience In The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, And Singapore, Shahla F. Ali, Antonio Da Roza
Alternative Dispute Resolution Design In Financial Markets—Some More Equal Than Others: Hong Kong's Proposed Financial Dispute Resolution Center In The Context Of The Experience In The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, And Singapore, Shahla F. Ali, Antonio Da Roza
Washington International Law Journal
Systems of financial dispute resolution currently operate in most major financial centers throughout the world. As such systems expand and develop to address a growing number of finance-related disputes, they must inevitably address the question of their role and function in financial market regulation. Such questions are rooted in the larger socio-legal dispute processing debate examining how institutional dispute resolution mechanisms effectively regulate the repeat player knowledge/power gap through appropriate policies and procedures. Using the example of Hong Kong in comparison with financial dispute resolution models currently in existence in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and the United States, this …
The Inheritance Of Inequality: Hukou<.I> And Related Barriers To Compulsory Education For China's Migrant Children, Jessica L. Montgomery
The Inheritance Of Inequality: Hukou<.I> And Related Barriers To Compulsory Education For China's Migrant Children, Jessica L. Montgomery
Washington International Law Journal
The hukou system in China uses residency permits to divide Chinese citizens into urban and rural dwellers. A person’s hukou status determines his or her access to state services. Under normal circumstances, a person with a rural hukou status is not eligible for state services in urban areas, and vice versa. Because hukou is primarily inherited from one’s parents at the time of birth, children born in urban areas to parents with rural hukou are similarly designated as rural hukou holders. As a result, children living in cities with rural hukou are ineligible for enrollment in urban public schools even …
Will China's 12th Five Year Plan Allow For Sufficient Nuclear Power To Support Its Booming Economy In The Next Twenty Years?, Patricia Blazey
Will China's 12th Five Year Plan Allow For Sufficient Nuclear Power To Support Its Booming Economy In The Next Twenty Years?, Patricia Blazey
Washington International Law Journal
A major part of China’s 12th Five Year Plan focuses on energy conservation and environmental protection. Its 12th Year Environmental Plan provides that China will increase its nuclear capacity by 30% from 2010 levels of 10.8 gigawatts to 43 gigawatts in 2014. Two questions arise from this plan. First, will enough energy be produced from other sources to supply the country’s energy needs or will there be the need for an expansion to its nuclear program? Second, are the locations of its nuclear power plants safe in light of the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan following …
Finding A Country To Call Home: A Framework For Evaluating Legislation To Reduce Statelessness In Southeast Asia, Alec Paxton
Finding A Country To Call Home: A Framework For Evaluating Legislation To Reduce Statelessness In Southeast Asia, Alec Paxton
Washington International Law Journal
Statelessness is a problem that affects 12 million people worldwide, with severe social, economic, and political consequences. This problem is particularly acute in Southeast Asia. Over the last sixty years, Southeast Asian states have attempted to reduce existing stateless populations through nationalization. These attempts have been met with varying degrees of success. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees and other non-governmental organizations have recently started to evaluate the outcome of these legislative attempts to reduce statelessness. These ad hoc evaluations provide valuable lessons for those who are drafting legislation to reduce existing stateless populations as well as legal scholars …
An Early Tragedy Of Comparative Constitutionalism: Frank Goodnow And The Chinese Republic, Jedidiah Kroncke
An Early Tragedy Of Comparative Constitutionalism: Frank Goodnow And The Chinese Republic, Jedidiah Kroncke
Washington International Law Journal
This article recovers a lost episode in the neglected early history of comparative constitutionalism in the United States. In 1913, pioneering comparative lawyer Frank Goodnow went to China to assist the new Chinese Republic in the writing of its first constitution. Goodnow’s mission reflected the growing interest of the United States in China’s legal development in this era, and his constitution-writing project won broad support from the U.S. legal profession. Goodnow’s tenure ultimately generated great controversy when he advised China’s leaders to adopt a constitutional monarchy rather than continue on as a republic. This article describes this controversy and how …
The Brave New World Of Lawyers In Japan Revisited: Proceedings Of A Panel Discussion On The Japanese Legal Profession After The 2008 Financial Crisis And The 2011 Tōhuku Earthquake, Bruce E. Aronson
Washington International Law Journal
In the United States, the 2008 financial crisis had a serious impact on a legal profession that had been growing strongly for three decades, highlighting fundamental issues concerning the business and educational models of both law firms and law schools. This raises the interesting question of how Japan, with its much shorter history of large law firms and professional law schools, has been affected by the 2008 financial crisis and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor crisis. At a recent conference sponsored by the University of Washington School of Law and the law firm of Perkins Coie, a …
A Battle Between Law And Society In Micronesia: An Example Of Originalism Gone Awry, Brian Z. Tamanaha
A Battle Between Law And Society In Micronesia: An Example Of Originalism Gone Awry, Brian Z. Tamanaha
Washington International Law Journal
Two conceptions of the relationship between law and society appear to compete: the idea that law mirrors society and the notion that a gap exists between law and society. Both ideas have some truth—law is an imperfect mirror of society. For various reasons, law and society can fall out of sync or even come into conflict. The 1975 Constitutional Convention, which led to the formation of the Federated States of Micronesia (“FSM”), marked the beginning of a battle between that society and its legal institutions. The Constitution’s framers strove to preserve traditional Micronesian culture by ensuring it a respected place …
Why Land Tenure Reform Is The Key To Political Stability In Tonga, Kersti Harter Kennedy
Why Land Tenure Reform Is The Key To Political Stability In Tonga, Kersti Harter Kennedy
Washington International Law Journal
The Kingdom of Tonga, a South Pacific country, erupted in violent pro-democracy riots in late 2006 after decades of political unease. Tonga’s people are divided into two main classes: the nobles and the commoners. These two classes have long differed in political and land rights in a hierarchy that is typical of chiefdoms such as Tonga. Tonga’s government has attempted to deal with the sometimes violent, commoner-led pro-democracy movement by amending its Constitution to allow commoners to vote for more of the members of the Legislative Assembly. The resulting government and the noblemen have not, however, shown a commitment to …
Separation Of Religion And State In Japan: A Pragmatic Interpretation Of Articles 20 And 89 Of The Japanese Constitution, Andrew B. Van Winkle
Separation Of Religion And State In Japan: A Pragmatic Interpretation Of Articles 20 And 89 Of The Japanese Constitution, Andrew B. Van Winkle
Washington International Law Journal
Article 20 of Japan’s Constitution establishes freedom of religion. To protect this freedom, the provisions of Articles 20 and 89 separate religion from the state to prevent the return of State Shintō. Despite this separation, the Japanese Supreme Court has consistently upheld instances where state entities interact with religious groups. These decisions have raised the ire of numerous academics and legal professionals in and out of Japan who believe that Japan’s constitutional separation requires absolute separation, or at least something more stringent than the Supreme Court has been willing to find. Although this comment rejects the approach taken by the …
Malaysia's World Trade Organization Challenge To The European Union's Renewable Energy Directive: An Economic Analysis, Michael W. Meredity
Malaysia's World Trade Organization Challenge To The European Union's Renewable Energy Directive: An Economic Analysis, Michael W. Meredity
Washington International Law Journal
Recent negotiations between Malaysia and the European Union (“EU”), aimed at establishing a free trade agreement, have come to a standstill, due in part to a policy implemented by the EU known as the Renewable Energy Directive. The Renewable Energy Directive grants a tax credit to renewable fuel sources that emit at least 35% less greenhouse gas than traditional fossil fuels. Malaysian officials have criticized the 35% level included in the EU policy because it grants a tax credit to rapeseed oil biofuel, produced mainly in Europe (which emits 38% less greenhouse gas than traditional fossil fuels), but does not …
The Islamic Legal System In Singapore, Ahmad Nizam Bin Abbas
The Islamic Legal System In Singapore, Ahmad Nizam Bin Abbas
Washington International Law Journal
In a country that is staunchly secular, it would appear to be an anomaly that the Muslim minority are free to practice their personal law when it comes to marriage, divorce, and to a certain extent inheritance. This article seeks to provide a general overview of the introduction and applicability of Muslim law in Singapore, from the colonial administration of the British to the contemporary period. The article also examines the infrastructure developed for implementing the Muslim law in Singapore and explores conflicts in jurisdiction between the country’s Syariah Court and the civil courts. Written from the perspective of a …
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In Singapore, Nik Hasyila Bte Nik Ibrahim
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In Singapore, Nik Hasyila Bte Nik Ibrahim
Washington International Law Journal
This article provides a snapshot of the administration of Muslim law as practiced in Singapore through the prism of the legal profession. In particular, it provides a brief background on the role of the legal profession in the administration of justice at the Syariah Court of Singapore. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to urge for institutional and legal reform, the paper nonetheless highlights the absence of a dedicated and specialized training program that can aid lawyers to be familiar with Muslim law and jurisprudence and provide better representation to their clients at the Syariah Court.
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In Indonesia, Ratno Lukito
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In Indonesia, Ratno Lukito
Washington International Law Journal
Lawyers who practice before Islamic courts play a crucial role in framing and presenting the issues for decision and in mediating between the courts that apply Islamic law and the public who have recourse to the state’s official Islamic legal institutions, but research on the professional training and governance of these lawyers is almost entirely lacking at present. This article offers a descriptive overview of the training, work, and professional regulation of Islamic lawyers in contemporary Indonesia. This material is presented in a clear format, structured to highlight key aspects of how these lawyers are trained, accredited, and organized. In …
The Islamic Legal System In Malaysia, Farid S. Shuaib
The Islamic Legal System In Malaysia, Farid S. Shuaib
Washington International Law Journal
This article describes the historical evolution and the current structure of the Islamic legal system in Malaysia. The structure of the modern Malaysian state has its roots in the region’s colonial history. By the end of the nineteenth century the territory that comprises contemporary Malaysia had been subjected to British colonial authority. The British did not, however, rule the region as a single colonial unit. In the directly ruled colonies most matters were governed by English common law, and while Islamic doctrine governed family law, it was applied by colonial courts that were staffed by British or British-trained judges. In …
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Singapore, Muhammad Haniff Hassan, Sharifah Thuraiya Su'ad Ahmad Alhadshi
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Singapore, Muhammad Haniff Hassan, Sharifah Thuraiya Su'ad Ahmad Alhadshi
Washington International Law Journal
Syariah court judges and the decisions they make clearly have an effect on the interpretation and application of Islamic law in contemporary Muslim societies, and the educational background of those who staff these courts obviously informs the way they understand, interpret, and apply the law. To date, however, little research has been done on the educational processes by which Islamic court judges are trained to think about Islamic law. Likewise, the means by which Islamic court judges are appointed and regulated has received little scholarly attention. This article offers a descriptive overview of the training, work, and professional regulation of …
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In The Federal Territories Of Malaysia, Amanda Whiting
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Lawyers In The Federal Territories Of Malaysia, Amanda Whiting
Washington International Law Journal
Although much has been written about the place of Islam, as law and as religion, in Malaysia, considerably less attention has been paid to Islamic lawyers (“peguam syarie”). This article undertakes a preliminary examination of a topic that demands closer scrutiny, relying chiefly upon parliamentary acts, state enactments and the rules made pursuant to them, as well as in-depth oral history interviews with Islamic and secular lawyers that were recorded from May through August 2010. It describes the training and practice of Islamic lawyers in one jurisdiction of the federation of Malaysia—the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya …
Why Study Islamic Legal Professionals?, Clark B. Lombardi, R. Michael Feener
Why Study Islamic Legal Professionals?, Clark B. Lombardi, R. Michael Feener
Washington International Law Journal
In many countries today, including the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, governments regulate some aspects of Muslim life according to Islamic law. The administration of Islamic law in these states is carried out by modern courts that are structured differently and staffed by different types of figures than were earlier institutions for the implementation of Islamic law. Prior to the modern era, courts tasked with the job of resolving cases according to Shari‛a were staffed by judges with a particular type of training, and litigants appearing before these judges were generally not represented by a specialized class …
The Islamic Legal System In Indonesia, Mark E. Cammack, R. Michael Feener
The Islamic Legal System In Indonesia, Mark E. Cammack, R. Michael Feener
Washington International Law Journal
This chapter describes the historical evolution and current structure of Indonesia’s Islamic legal structure. The current system of Islamic courts in Indonesia is traceable to a late nineteenth century Dutch decree establishing a system of Islamic tribunals on the islands of Java and Madura. The decree created collegial courts in which a district-level religious official called the penghulu acted as chair and was assisted by member judges chosen from the local religious elite. The courts were authorized to decide matrimonial and inheritance disputes, but execution of the courts’ decisions required an executory decree from the civil court. The system was …
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Malaysia, Najibah M. Zin
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Malaysia, Najibah M. Zin
Washington International Law Journal
Shari‛a court judges and the decisions they make clearly have an effect on the interpretation and application of Islamic law in contemporary Muslim societies, and the educational background of those who staff these courts obviously informs the way they understand, interpret, and apply the law. To date, however, little research has been done on the educational processes by which judges who serve on Islamic courts are trained to think about Islamic law. Likewise, the means by which Islamic court judges are appointed and regulated has received little scholarly attention. This article offers a descriptive overview of the training, work, and …
Sources Of Law, Sources Of Authority: The Failure Of The Philippines' Code Of Muslim Personal Laws, Gregory M. Chiarella
Sources Of Law, Sources Of Authority: The Failure Of The Philippines' Code Of Muslim Personal Laws, Gregory M. Chiarella
Washington International Law Journal
The Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines (“CMPL”) was established in 1977 as part of an effort to quell longstanding violence between Christians and Muslims in the predominantly Christian country. This codification of Islamic laws in the areas of marriage, divorce, and inheritance provided for a system of Shari‛a courts that would operate within the larger framework of the legal system of the Philippines. Three and a half decades later, the CMPL has had little effect. The Shari‛a courts are understaffed and underutilized, accounting for less than 0.1% of the caseload in the Philippines. The CMPL is plagued …
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Indonesia, Euis Nurlawlawati, Abdurrahman Rahim
The Training, Appointment, And Supervision Of Islamic Judges In Indonesia, Euis Nurlawlawati, Abdurrahman Rahim
Washington International Law Journal
This essay discusses the creation and training of Islamic court judges in Indonesia. This includes an examination of the qualifications for appointment as a judge, the recruitment of new judges, the pre-appointment and in-service training provided for Islamic judges, and the substantive and administrative supervision of the Islamic judiciary. The paper shows that significant changes have occurred in the system of recruitment and training of Islamic court judges with the establishment of new educational qualifications and the implementation of broader and more systematic training programs. As a result of these changes, the quality, professionalism, and standing of the Islamic judiciary …