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Full-Text Articles in Jurisprudence

Mapping Expansive Uses Of Human Dignity In International Criminal Law, J.Benton Heath Jan 2012

Mapping Expansive Uses Of Human Dignity In International Criminal Law, J.Benton Heath

J.Benton Heath

International criminal law (ICL) makes frequent reference to the concept of human dignity, which also plays a central role in human rights law. While many of these invocations occur in the context of torture and cruel treatment, a handful of cases have used human dignity more expansively to justify punishment for hate speech and other crimes. In this chapter, I argue that such expansive invocations of human dignity fill gaps in substantive criminal law, motivate tribunals toward broad interpretations of the law, may serve to 'trump' competing claims, and provide an argument for overcoming strict applications of the principle of …


Human Dignity At Trial: Hard Cases And Broad Concepts In International Criminal Law, J.Benton Heath Jan 2012

Human Dignity At Trial: Hard Cases And Broad Concepts In International Criminal Law, J.Benton Heath

J.Benton Heath

Broad and indeterminate invocations of human dignity play a sporadic but powerful role in the adjudication of international criminal law (ICL). Drawing on detailed case studies, I argue that the concept of dignity enables courts to fill gaps in the substantive criminal law, justify expansive interpretations, resolve conflicts between competing rights and values, and potentially overcome the requirements of strict legality. These features enable judges to reach important and sometimes morally compelling conclusions. But expansive uses of human dignity come into tension with rule-of-law principles, and they challenge the self-understanding of ICL as a regime of limited subject-matter jurisdiction. This …


The Final Balance Sheet? The International Criminal Court’S Challenges And Concessions To The Westphalian Model, Jackson N. Maogoto Jan 2004

The Final Balance Sheet? The International Criminal Court’S Challenges And Concessions To The Westphalian Model, Jackson N. Maogoto

Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto

This Article examines the organization and operating principles of the Court. Many aspects of the Rome Statute challenge fundamental tenets of the structure of international law existing heretofore. No analysis could address all the aspects of this new international institution and the Article seeks to focus attention on some of its major features impacting on State sovereignty--the focus of this Article. Part II of the Article explores the structure and competence of the Court and in particular the powers of the prosecutor, general principles underlying the jurisdiction of the Court, the formulation of the complementarity principle in the Court’s Statute, …


Presiding Over The Ex-President: A Look At Superior Responsibility In The Light Of The Kosovo Indictment, Jackson N. Maogoto Jan 2002

Presiding Over The Ex-President: A Look At Superior Responsibility In The Light Of The Kosovo Indictment, Jackson N. Maogoto

Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto

Individual criminal responsibility, and command responsibility in particular, are important because, to deter human rights abuses, potential perpetrators must perceive prosecution as a possible consequence of their actions. Historically, the doctrine of command responsibility has been an important tool to hold accountable leaders who plan, participate in, or acquiesce in large-scale human rights abuses. The scope of the command responsibility doctrine remains one of the most important issues in prosecuting human rights atrocities. The scope of the doctrine determines the degree to which a leader can insulate himself from criminal culpability when the criminal acts were committed by others but …