Law Commons^™

The Need For A United States National Antiquities Database: A Valuable Suggestion From The Nicosia Convention, Sula, Dea

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Antiquities trafficking is an international cultural and security risk due to the involvement of organized crime. The Nicosia Convention proposes utilization of shared national databases cataloging antiquities as a method to combat the antiquities black market. The United States should adopt this database recommendation. A comprehensive database of antiquities in the U.S. is technically feasible. Further, a database would strengthen American criminal law by creating evidence that a buyer could have notice and knowledge of the status of a trafficked antiquity, the lack of which currently incentivizes authorities to use civil forfeiture actions instead of criminal prosecution. Implementing an antiquities …

The Exceptional Unfairness Of The “Exceptional And Extremely Unusual Hardship” Test, Bin Mohsin, Momin

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Legislators often face criticism for introducing ambiguous terms into law. The "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" (EEUH) standard in U.S. immigration law is one such prominent example. Delving into a historical analysis, the article tracks the evolution of the EEUH standard from its incorporation in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to its current applications. Through a comprehensive survey across different jurisdictions such as the UK, Canada, and Australia, the paper exposes the inadequacies of the EEUH standard, emphasizing its obsolescence. Advocating for a paradigmatic reassessment, it proposes the replacement of the EEUH standard with the “best interest of …

Jurisdictional Choice For Space Resource Utilization Projects: Current Space Resource Utilization Laws, Giannoni-Crystal, Francesca

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Space resource utilization is coming. While some legal impediments exist, they are not insurmountable. The ban on the appropriation of resources found in Article II of the Outer Space Treaty (“OST”) does not apply to extracted resources, according to the most reasonable interpretation of Article II and the view held by almost all countries and the overwhelming majority of scholars. The Moon Agreement is not a barrier to space resource utilization because it has not been adopted by many countries (and none of the major space-faring ones). By contrast, the Artemis Accords, which have been signed by a significant number …

Counterterrorism Uses Of Force: The Laws Of War And Jus Ad Vim, Salomon, Paolo

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Al Qaeda’s terror attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, introduced heretofore unseen issues under International Humanitarian Law. After Al-Qaeda’s attacks, the Bush administration began its Global War on Terror by invading Afghanistan in order to find those responsible for the attacks on September 11, 20001. This invasion caused Al-Qaeda to flee into Pakistan’s Tribal Areas in order to evade American forces. The Bush administration began employing drone strikes in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas to degrade Al-Qaeda’s ability to conduct operations against the United States. The Obama administration continued and expanded the use of drone strikes. Amid the use …

Esg Investing: Government Push Or Market Pull?, Mendenhall, Allen, Sutter, Daniel

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

This Article documents various government actions driving the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) movement to offer perspective on the debate regarding whether markets or governments propel ESG. These include mandating an energy transition; promulgating laws, rules, and directives compelling ESG reporting; and providing generous tax incentives and financial subsidies. We document the government push for ESG in the United States, Europe, and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations, and by international financial institutions. We do not deny that many investors across the globe are interested in ESG as opposed to only private returns. However, the breadth and …

Legislative Interpretation No. 748: Examining The History And Future Of Taiwan’S Same-Sex Marriage Law, Chang, Cara

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Taiwan has always had two advantages that increased the odds of passing a same-sex marriage law: the political empowerment of women, and a strong economy characterized by balanced development. However, Taiwan is also part of the conservative Confucian cultural milieu of East Asia, a force that has often made it hard for the gender equality movement to gain traction — although interestingly, Confucius believed and taught that it is marriage that lies at the foundation of government.

This paper examines the history leading up to the 2017 and 2019 legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan, a “first in Asia,” as …

Getting Away With Murder: Why U.S. Courts Should Incorporate The Vclt In The Interpretation Of International Tax Treaties, Schroeder, Helen

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

There is a growing trend in the United States for the adoption of the VCLT in analyzing international tax treaties.1 This trend is positive and should be continued. By looking at how the VCLT could have been applied to the tax treaty interpretation in dispute in Xerox Corp. v. U.S., I assert both that it should be seen as a legitimate source of international tax law and that it should continue to be used moving into the future.

Mental Illness And Criminal Justice, Belli, Kelsey

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

This paper assesses some of the critical issues relevant to the connection between the mental health and criminal justice systems. Throughout the entirety of this paper there will be a comparison between the Unites States, France, and the Netherlands. This article will examine the current statutes, case law, and public policies in place in the criminal justice and mental health systems. It will offer a comparison between the balance of needs of individuals suffering from mental health issues and the maintenance of public safety. The first section will look at the historical background of how individuals were found to be …

Dragonfly Is Watching You: Artveillance And The Legal Issues Implicated, Yang, Sydney

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Art law as a practice area can seem innately contradictory. Indeed, at first glance “art” and “law” are concepts that should be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. While art is all about unleashing your imagination and thinking out of the box, law may seem more rigid and orderly as it focuses more on the structured legal system and the enforcement of law by social and governmental institutions. As the art market became more complex and sophisticated in the 20th century, art law has developed into a discrete and increasingly recognized legal field despite the fact that it is …

A Regulatory Back Door: General Prohibition Ten And America’S National Security, Ramachandran, Vilas

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

American leadership in innovation requires, among other things, an export control regime that adapts to the realities of trade in the twenty-first century. The United States understands that the importance of American leadership in innovation reaches far beyond a theoretical debate about American hegemony; it has implications for the national security of the United States. However, Section 736.2(b)(10) of the Export Administration Regulations, known as General Prohibition Ten, creates vulnerabilities that jeopardize the national security of the United States while also adding unnecessary costs to American exporters. General Prohibition Ten makes it impossible for an American exporter to take control …

Alba And Unasur: Back To The Future?, Porrata-Doria, Jr., Rafael A.

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

This essay discusses efforts at creating a unified Latin American region through the lens of different integration attempts. Part I briefly examines MERCOSUR and the Andean Group and how these two efforts failed to achieve promises made under the free trade model that grew under the Washington Consensus. Structural problems and changing political tides left these two groups unsuccessful, and ultimately the election of populist leftwing presidents in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela ushered in a new model of integration intended to increase the economic development of Latin America in an equitable fashion. Despite their different ideologies and missions, both Alianza …

May The Force Majeure Be With You: The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Force Majeure Clause In International Commercial Contracts, Natarajan, Priyasundari

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Covid-19 has complicated the application of force majeure (FM) as an excuse for contractual non- performance worldwide. FM clauses are fundamental in allocating risk in international commercial contracts between parties in the event of similar unforeseeable circumstances. This paper aims to investigate the unintended consequences of present-day FM laws by identifying the required elements of FM clauses, tracing the historical evolution of the law, and analyzing various jurisdictional approaches to interpreting FM. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of FM laws adopted in the United States, China, and Germany are used to establish the efficacy of FM clauses in international commercial contracts …

Miserable Comforts Or Concrete Protections: Human Rights Conventions, Treaties, Declarations, And The Rights Of Indigenous/Othered Communities—Quo Vadis?, Emeziem, Cosmas

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

It has become an annual ritual for the world—especially through the United Nations (UN)—to organize events and activities celebrating Indigenous Peoples.1 Further to this disposition, the UN has adopted a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.2 Equally, it is now fashionable, to include the needs, and questions, affecting indigenous peoples in our development programs and climate action activities—albeit sometimes as an addendum to the mainstream policies.3 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the current prominence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and decolonialization language in international policy briefs, give further credence to this apparent commitment to the rights of …

Signature Of Multilateral Treaties: Still Meaningful In The Era Of Transnational Law?, Bantekas, Ilias

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

The function of signing multilateral treaties has always been perceived as a sine qua non element of inter-state agreements. Its evolution has witnessed several useful variations, such as definitive signatures, the ‘all states formula’, as well as the enhanced role of treaty depositaries with respect to the effect of signatures. The article argues that despite signature requirements in all multilateral treaties there is a clear trend towards alternative forms of agreement, whether between states or between states and non-state actors. The rise in the power of non-state actors has given rise to simplified forms of agreement where formalities, including treaty-type …

Exploitation Of Space And Patent Law: How The Current Legal System Ineffectively Protects Private Companies In The Commercial Space Industry, Malmen, Liz

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Over fifty years ago man first landed on the moon. Since then, outer space has become increasingly closer with the direction and development of the commercial space industry. What was once an exclusive government function is turning into a private business. It is no longer difficult to imagine the possibility of going to space when companies like SpaceX have launched private crews into orbit. However, encouraging technological advancements to support the commercial space industry requires adequate legal protections of such innovation. This can be challenging when international space law has had little growth since man was first on the moon, …

Past As Prologue: Intercept & Surveillance Rules Under Hong Kong’S National Security Law, Hargreaves, Stuart

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

In response to civil unrest in 2019, in 2020 Beijing directly applied a new National Security Law to Hong Kong. Part of this law established a new system of rules for the authorisation of communications intercepts and covert surveillance in the context of certain national security offences. Interestingly, this new scheme looks in many ways like a prior system that was deemed unconstitutional by a Hong Kong court in 2006: it centralizes authorization authority in the executive branch and there is little external oversight of the process. This paper argues that the new system of rules regarding covert surveillance of …

Drones And Civilians: Emerging Evidence Of The Terrorizing Effects Of The U.S. Drone Programs, Keenan, Patrick J.

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

The Biden Administration, in one of its first consequential foreign policy decisions, announced that it would undertake a comprehensive review of the United States drone program. Officials promised that this review would consider all available evidence. This article shows that the U.S. drone program violates international law because of the ways it terrorizes civilian populations. U.S. officials from both parties have argued that drones are an effective part of the U.S. counterterrorism strategy. However, effectiveness is not the legal standard. The law requires that the program not unduly harm civilians. For as long as the U.S. has been using drones, …

Being Blonde In China And How To Protect My Right Of Publicity Abroad, Norvell, Lauren

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Being Blonde in China and How to Protect My Right of Publicity Abroad

Cross-Border Data Transfers Between The Eu And The U.S.: A Transatlantic Dispute, Jiménez-Gómez, Briseida Sofía

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Cross-Border Data Transfers Between the EU

and the U.S.: A Transatlantic Dispute

Challenging The International Trend: The Case For Artificial Intelligence Inventorship In The United States, Fok, Ernest

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

CHALLENGING THE INTERNATIONAL

TREND:

THE CASE FOR ARTIFICIAL

INTELLIGENCE INVENTORSHIP IN THE

UNITED STATES

Challenging The Commodification Of Human Rights: The Case Of The Right To Housing, Birchall, David

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Challenging the Commodification of

Human Rights:

The Case of the Right to Housing

Salim V. Mitchell: A First In Accountability For Victims Of The United States Torture Program, Amato, Camilla

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Salim v. Mitchell: A First in Accountability for Victims of the United States Torture Program

Justice For Juristac: Using International And Comparative Law To Protect Indigenous Lands, Zartner, Dana

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Justice for Juristac: Using International and Comparative Law to Protect Indigenous Lands

Ungovernable Ships At The End Of Their Lives And The Response Of The Hong Kong Convention: A Critical Appraisal Of The Treaty On Ship-Breaking From The Perspective Of South Asian Ship-Breaking Nations, Ahmed, Ishtiaque

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Ungovernable Ships at the End of their Lives and the Response of the Hong Kong Convention: A Critical Appraisal of the Treaty on Ship-breaking from the Perspective of South Asian Ship-breaking Nations

Indian Surrogacy: Ending Cheap Labor, Jaya Reddy

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Indian Surrogacy: Ending Cheap Labor

Matter Of A-B- One Year Later: Winning Back Gender-Based Asylum Through Litigation And Legislation, Kate Jastram, Sayoni Maitra

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Matter of A-B- One Year Later: Winning Back Gender-Based Asylum Through Litigation and Legislation

Coming To A Battlefield Near You: Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, & Machine Learning’S Impact On Proportionality, Salahudin Ali

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Coming to a Battlefield Near You: Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, & Machine Learning’s Impact on Proportionality

The Criminalization Of Cyberbullying Among Children And Youth, Liat Franco, Khalid Ghanayim

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

The Criminalization of Cyberbullying Among Children and Youth

Intersex, Hyperandrogenism, Female Athletes: A Legal Perspective On The Iaaf Doping Regulations And Where Hyperandrogenic Female Athletes Fit In, Tylyn Wells

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

Intersex, Hyperandrogenism, Female Athletes: A Legal Perspective on The IAAF Doping Regulations and Where Hyperandrogenic Female Athletes Fit In

A New Weight On The Scale: Strengthening International Human Rights Law By Relying On Treaties In Us Asylum Cases, Allison Hugi

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

A New Weight on the Scale: Strengthening International Human Rights Law By Relying on Treaties in US Asylum Cases