Law Commons^™

An Ad Hoc Dispute Settlement Mechanism Or A Harmonization Mission? A Reappraisal Of Jurisprudential Fragmentation In International Investment Arbitration, Mohammad Hamdy

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

Contrary to the numerous accounts of fragmentation in investment arbitration case law, this Article shows that the case law depicts a high degree of cohesion. The Article argues that jurisprudence in investment arbitration is stabilized by distinct mainstream interpretations of the key provisions of bilateral investment treaties, the main legal instrument in international investment law. The Article considers the frequently cited disagreements among arbitral tribunals in light of competing commitments to either regulatory pluralism or harmonization. It demonstrates that the vast majority of tribunals interpret bilateral investment treaties in a way that circumscribes pluralism and furthers the harmonization of the …

Forced Justice: The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Sara L. Ochs, Kirbi Walters

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), the court created to adjudicate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo at the turn of the century, is the world’s newest hybrid tribunal. The KSC is classified as a hybrid tribunal because it ostensibly blends aspects of international and domestic law and resources. Upon examination, however, the KSC departs in critical ways from the traditional concept of a hybrid tribunal, representing an internationally dominated court with minimal local involvement. By detailing the history of judicial mechanisms employed to prosecute crimes committed during and in the aftermath of the Kosovo War from 1998-1999, …

Fighting Words: Catalonia At The Language Instruction Crossroads, Jane Tien

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

The schism between Spain and Catalonia obscures a struggle over the teaching language for non-linguistic subjects in Catalonia's public schools. The recent two decades decanted into Catalan society two Spanish Constitutional Court rulings mandating a Castilian-Catalan conjunctive instruction model—with Catalan as the "center of gravity"—and tasking the Catalan legislature with configuring that "center." Pleasing none and spurned by all, the Constitutional Court duology emboldened activist lower courts to bypass the Catalan legislature, while schools in Catalonia continued to teach almost exclusively in Catalan. With the Castilians alienated and the Catalans defiant, language instruction in Catalonia turned into a festering wound …

Bankruptcy Basics: What The U.S. Can Learn From The U.K. Filing Processes, Courtney Kobren

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

Although filing for bankruptcy is the primary form of economic relief for U.S. consumers in financial distress, pro se debtors lack access to the consumer bankruptcy system. An individual debtor faces many challenges when filing for bankruptcy without an attorney, since the debtor must rely on free access to the information provided by the U.S. Courts website. However, that information is vague and presented in complex legalese and dissuasive diction. On the other hand, U.K. debtors who need financial relief can file for bankruptcy through a clear and accessible bankruptcy filing process. U.K. debtors also have access to free consumer …

Journal Staff

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

Sovereignty In The Era Of Fragmentation – Eu Trade Agreements And The Notion Of Statehood In International Law, Harri Kalimo, Shorena Nikoleishvili

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

In this article, we explore the theme of sovereignty in the context of fragmented international law. We observe that the sovereignty of States may become relativized, not only by the political power of other States, but by its exposure to multiple, functionally separate fields of law. We analyze this theme by asking whether trade agreements as instruments of economic law offer a venue for discussing the sovereignty of sub-statal entities that lack standing on the more traditional international forums. Our analysis focuses first on a recent decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which concerned the status …

Tribal Sovereignty And The Right To Life, Clare Holtzman

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

On August 26, 2020, the only Native American on federal death row, Lezmond Mitchell was executed by the federal government for the murder of two Navajo citizens on Navajo Nation land. Federal law typically gives Tribal Nations the right to determine whether the death penalty is used against their citizens for crimes committed between Tribal citizens on Tribal land. Yet here, the federal government utilized a loophole to seek the death penalty against the Navajo Nation's wishes. Lezmond Mitchell was not a sympathetic man by any means; indeed, he brutally killed a grandmother and her young granddaughter to steal their …

Journal Staff

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

The International Law Of Colonialism In East Africa: Germany, England, And The Doctrine Of Discovery, Robert J. Miller, Olivia Stitz

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

The non-European, non-Christian world was colonized under international law that is known today as the Doctrine of Discovery. This common-law international Doctrine was codified into European international law at the Berlin Conference of 1884–85 and in the Berlin Act of 1885 specifically to partition and colonize Africa. Thirteen European countries and the United States attended the four-month Conference, which ended with thirteen countries signing the Berlin Act on February 26, 1885. Under the Discovery Doctrine and the Berlin Act, these European countries claimed superior rights over African nations and Indigenous Peoples. European explorers planted crosses, signed hundreds of treaties, and …

Giving The People A Voice Where It Counts: A Presumption In Favor Of Allowing Permanent Residents To Vote In Local Elections, Robin Liu

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

This article proposes, as a matter of principle, that there should be a rebuttable presumption in favor of extending voting rights in local elections to permanent residents. It will justify why the proposed presumption should apply, the ways in which it could be rebutted, and offer some insight into how the presumption could serve as a guide to constitutional interpretation and design. It will review the reasons for the connection between citizenship and voting rights, and then address why permanent residents should be granted the right to vote in local elections. Three case studies will be used to illustrate how …

On The Politics And Ideologies Of The Sovereignty Discourse In Cyberspace, Henning Lahmann

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

This article critically examines the current discourse on the legal status and substance of the international law concept of "sovereignty" in cyberspace against the backdrop of conflicting political-ideological attitudes. It first traces the origins of the interpretation of "respect for sovereignty" as a primary rule of international law, and then discusses two approaches to cyberspace that challenge the emerging consensus: "cyber imperialism," embodied by the US and the other Five Eyes members on the one hand, and "cyber-Westphalia," represented by China, Russia, and Iran on the other. Both groups conceive cyberspace in ways fundamentally irreconcilable with prevailing legal views. A …

Hiding In The Eye Of The Storm Cloud: How Cloud Act Agreements Expand U.S. Extraterritorial Investigatory Powers, Tim Cochrane

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

The United States and United Kingdom will soon implement a new reciprocal international law enforcement data sharing agreement (U.S.-UK Agreement), the first of its kind under the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act 2018 (CLOUD Act), which will enable law enforcement of one signatory state to directly request data from service providers based in the other state. The United States says CLOUD Act agreements simply remove conflicts of law and do not affect its jurisdiction over overseas providers, claiming these are strictly constrained by the personal jurisdiction requirement contained within the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause. It is …

Wage Boards And Labor Revitalization: U.S. Aspirations And Uruguayan Realities*, Ana Laura Ermida, César F. Rosado Marzán

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

State-supported sectoral bargaining through wage boards is gaining traction among some U.S. reformers interested in revitalizing unions, collective bargaining, and labor law. New York has become a celebrated case, but the recent experience there left some activists disappointed.

Theoretically, revitalization through wage boards is also complicated. Labor law doctrine, which favors labor union autonomy from the state, might endorse state-created wage boards, but only in a qualified manner. Moreover, reformers consider union membership growth to be important for labor revitalization. And yet, empirical studies have shown that sectoral bargaining has an indeterminate impact on union membership.

Given New York's uneven …