Law Commons^™

Religiosity In Constitutions And The Status Of Minority Rights, Brandy G. Robinson

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

Minority rights and religion have never been topics that are simultaneously considered. However, arguably, the two have relevance, especially when combined with the topic and theory of constitutionalism. Historically and traditionally, minorities have been granted certain rights and have been denied certain rights under various constitutions. These grants and denials relate to cultural differences and values, arguably relating to a culture’s understanding and interpretation of religion.

This article explores the relationship and status of minority rights as it relates to religiosity and constitutionalism. Essentially, there is a correlation between these topics and research shows where certain nations have used religion …

Humanitarian Intervention Post-Syria: A Grotian Moment, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Grotian Moment is a term that signifies a "paradigm-shifting development in which new rules and doctrines of customary international law emerge with unusual rapidity and acceptance." A Grotian Moment is thus "an instance in which a fundamental change in the exiting international system happens, thereby provoking the emergence of a new principle of customary law with outstanding speed." Professor Richard Falk invented the term Grotian Moment in 1985. Since then, the term has been employed by experts in a variety of ways. Here, I will adopt the following meaning of Grotian Moment as proposed by Professor Michael Scharf: "a transformative …

Humanitarian Intervention Post-Syria: Legitimate And Legal?, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article looks at the state of affairs under international law by focusing on the existing ban on the use of force and the established exceptions thereto as of December 2014. Topics discussed include the concept of humanitarian intervention, the civil crises in Syria, and international law for the legality of military intervention in Syria. It also examines Harold Koh's proposed normative framework for humanitarian intervention.

The Future Of Ad Hoc Tribunals: An Assessment Of Their Utility Post-Icc, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Over the past two decades, various mechanisms of international and regional justice have developed. The proliferation of international courts, hybrid tribunals, domestic war crimes chambers, truth commissions, civil compensation commissions, and other tools of accountability has sparked an academic debate over the usefulness of any such mechanism for redressing past violations of international law. This Article briefly discusses some of the best-known mechanisms of international, national, and "hybrid" justice, and assesses their role in light of the creation and existence of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the only permanent tribunal in international criminal law. Does international justice have a place …

The Implementation Gap: What Causes Laws To Succeed Or Fail?, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

It is important to go behind the “paper systems” many countries and private sector actors have created to manufacture the appearance of commitments to responsible economic activity, environmental protection and social justice. This produces the need to penetrate the veils that mask governments’ “apparent compliance” with the terms of sustainable development, and to be honest about the inability of voluntary codes of practice to shape the behavior of business and government. Implementation requires effective systems to carry out the law and policy mandates. Laws and policies are often poorly designed or deliberately sabotaged in their creation, but in many instances …

The Reality Of Business And Governmental Decision-Making In The Context Of Sustainable Development, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

It is absolutely rational for economic actors and decision-makers to seek to operate in their own self-interest. The challenge for anyone who wishes to influence or alter the process lies in knowing where that self-interest lies and changing the nature of the self-interest if that is required or possible. That is a far greater challenge than many understand because regardless of what we might like to do in our personal lives, it is the institution within which we work that dictates how we think and what we value in our service to that institution. Given the short time frame within …

New “Architecture” And Revitalizing The Un Global Compact, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

Some advocates of sustainable development possess an almost theological faith in what I refer to as “rhetorical” sustainable development as the path to providing for the sound future of human civilizations and critical ecological systems. Simply put, if we try to think “too big” and “bite off too much” then the system we are trying to control or influence consumes us and our resources and we fail miserably. There is real and predictable danger in grandeur. This means we need to think about achieving sustainability in very specific and concrete terms applied to clear goals and an honest understanding of …

Assimilation Anxiety: Islamic Migration As A Perceived Threat To Western Cultures, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

In this cynical age it is common to smirk at claims about what is sometimes called American Exceptionalism, a term standing for the conclusion that America is an historically distinct (and better) system. To some degree it does represent cultural arrogance founded on assumption rather than fact. It also ignores “exceptionally” dark chapters in American history, including slavery, seizing of lands from Native Americans and imprisoning of US citizens of Japanese descent. Nonetheless it seems that given the diversity of the population and the sheer enormity of the nation that, as stated by an Asian Indian friend who is a …

International Criminal Law In 2013: The Most Significant Developments (Proceedings Of The Asil Annual Meeting), Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Presentations and Testimony

While many events have shaped the development of international criminal law over the past year, the most significant ones, in my view, included the Special Court for Sierra Leone's appellate confirmation of the Charles Taylor verdict, as well as the United Nations Security Council's failure to refer the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Defining The Scope Of Indirect Expropriation For International Investments , Peter D. Isakoff

Global Business Law Review

At present, arbitral tribunals have applied a variety of standards to ascertain when indirect expropriation occurs. This article examines the complexities and ambiguities of current indirect expropriation standards and argues that a clear, uniform standard is needed to identify indirect expropriation. Ultimately, this article proposes that arbitral tribunals should only find that indirect expropriation occurs when (i) a state takes actions that substantially deprive the foreign investor of the profitability of its investment, and (ii) the state action was not reasonably predictable to the investor. Part I of this article provides a summary of the current state of expropriation doctrine. …

Juvenile Pirates: "Lost Boys" Or Violent Criminals?, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has flourished over the past decade, and has both caused a global crisis in maritime shipping and destabilized regional security in East Africa. In addition, piracy attacks have spread more recently to the coast of West Africa, and in particular, the Gulf of Guinea. Thus, piracy is an ongoing global issue that should continue to occupy many maritime nations in the near future, and one that should command continuous scholarly attention.

This article examines the issue of juvenile piracy, with a specific focus on the treatment of juvenile piracy suspects by both the capturing …

Disparate Protections For American Human Trafficking Victims , Amanda Peters

Cleveland State Law Review

The federal government places victims, for the purpose of receiving protections, into two categories: first, international victims and second, American citizens or permanent residents. If an international trafficking victim qualifies to receive services as a result of having been trafficked, the United States will provide refugeelike protections through the TVPA. These protections include housing, food, cash assistance, job training, counseling, medical care, legal assistance, and other services that are available for a period of several years. Victims who are Americans, on the other hand, must find protection elsewhere. The United States government specifically excludes its own trafficked citizens from receiving …

The Doha Development Dysfunction: Problems Of The Wto Multilateral Trading System, Erik M. Dickinson

Global Business Law Review

This Note argues that WTO member nations should use bilateral and regional trade agreements to solve key issues facing the Doha Round negotiations in order to lower trade barriers and foster a climate of free trade necessary to resurrect the stalled Doha Round. Several problems including the WTO’s lack of authority to enforce DSU decisions, protectionist trade measures, and the single undertaking have threatened the long term stability of the WTO’s multilateral trading system. However, if bilateral and regional trade agreements were used to solve key issues, much like they were used by the United States in the 1970s, WTO …

A Troubled Agreement For Troubled Waters: How An Amended Boundry Waters Treaty Can Solve The Great Lakes Agreement's Fatal Flaws, Paul Shugar

Global Business Law Review

Great Lakes water fuels $4.2 trillion of gross-domestic product (“GDP”), making the Great Lakes Region the largest bi-national regional economy in the world. But what are the United States and Canada doing to protect the world’s largest readily available freshwater resource? The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement’s failures show that Canada and the United State must amend the outdated Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This amended treaty would provide a uniform approach to regulating the Great Lakes so the states and provinces on both sides of the border must play by the same rules regarding water …

The Cost Of Progress: Enduring The Tax Deductibility Of International Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives, Wayne C. Wood

Global Business Law Review

Until the end of the twentieth century, the predominant view in America was that a corporation’s sole duty was to supply wealth to its shareholders. The idea that a corporation owes a broader duty to all of its stakeholders has gained ground based largely on the emerging international recognition of human rights norms. Increasingly American MNCs have opted to voluntarily create and implement CSR policies for moral, economic, and political reasons. While charitable donations made to exempt organizations are expressly deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code, the same might not be true for a given CSR expenditure. …

How The Rescue And Return Agreement Can Protect (And Harm) The Interest Of A Creditor Under The Cape Town Convention, Mark J. Sundahl

Law Faculty Contributions to Books

This volume contains the proceedings of the 55th Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space held in Naples, Italy in October 2012, including the 27th IAA-IISL Scientific-Legal Roundtable, as well as the papers presented at the IISL-ECSL Space Law Symposium held on the occasion of the 51st session of the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna, Austria in March 2012, and of the 7th Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues In Space Law, held in Washington D.C., United States in December 2012. It also contains the report and best written …

The Effect Of Violence On Tourism: Israel-Gaza Conflict, Jeromy Simonovic

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

Free Expression And Censorship: The Evolving Role Of American Companies In The Age Of The Internet, Daniel Witt

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

Batter Up: Who’S Prepared To Take The Hit From The Stuxnet Aftermath?, Kortney Mosley

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

License To Kill? Corporate Liability Under The Alien Tort Claims Act?, Kevin Golden

In the Balance

Because Kiobel removed corporate defendants from the scope of civil liability under the ATS, and because a corporation is not a person who can be charged, convicted and imprisoned for a crime, it effectively placed large multinational corporations above the law. Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 621 F.3d 111, 145 (2d Cir. 2010). In Part II of this article, I will provide a necessary overview of the history of the ATS and its evolution into modern-day relevance. I will discuss the state of ATS law as it pertains to corporations in Part III. Lastly, I will discuss the Kiobel …

Is American Military Force A Legal Response If Iran Closes The Strait Of Hormuz?, Matthew O. Williams

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

Costa Concordia Crash Sparks New Regulation: May Be Too Late To Salvage Business , Katherine Bender

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

The Wti Incinerator: The Rcra Citizen Suit And The Emergence Of Environmental Human Rights, Hallie L. Shipley

Global Business Law Review

The WTI Incinerator currently operates in East Liverpool, Ohio, burning toxic waste despite a district court ruling that held it posed an imminent and substantial risk to both human health and the environment. Unfortunately for the Ohio plaintiffs, the Circuit Court of Appeals in this case misinterpreted the RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) Citizen suit provision, barring any remedy for the Ohio citizens who brought the suit. This flawed interpretation has been adopted nationwide by other Appellate Circuit Courts. This article compares the remedies available to U.S. citizens for environmental harms with those remedies available to the citizens under …

Katyn Forest Massacre: Of Genocide, State Lies, And Secrecy, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The Soviet secret police murdered thousands of Poles near the Katyn Forest, just outside the Russian city of Smolensk, in the early spring of 1940. The Soviets targeted members of the Polish intelligentsia-military officers, doctors, engineers, police officers, and teachers-which Stalin, the Soviet leader, sought to eradicate preventively. At the start of World War II, the Soviet Union viewed Poland as attractive territory, to be conquered and potentially annexed after the war. The Katyn massacre was not discovered until 1943, by the Germans, who instantly blamed the Soviets. The latter, however, blamed the Germans, and the Western Allies begrudgingly accepted …

A Tale Of Two States: Territoriality And Minority Rights In Kosovo And Georgia, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article argues that territoriality and minority rights can work in tandem, because most secessionist claims by minority groups involve claims to territory. Thus, territoriality and minority rights are both about land, and the relevant inquiry should be whether to alter the status quo, at the expense of a mother State's territory and in order to accommodate minority rights. This paper seeks to answer this difficult question in the context of recent secessionist struggles in Kosovo and in Georgia. Part 2 discusses the principle of territorial integrity under international law, before turning to a discussion of minority rights, and in …

Piracy Off The Coast Of Somalia: The Argument For Pirate Prosecutions In The National Courts Of Kenya, The Seychelles, And Mauritius, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article will argue that, in order to combat the rise of Somali piracy, major maritime nations should rely on national prosecutions of Somali pirates in the courts of stable regional partners, such as Kenya, the Seychelles and Mauritius. A systematic transfer program and prosecutions in the national courts of several regional partners would preclude the possibility of pirate catch-and-release, and could ultimately provide enough deterrence to seriously dissuade young Somali men from engaging in piracy. The Somali pirates, enemies of all mankind, may find potent foes in the form of Kenyan, Seychellois and Mauritian prosecutors, who will subject pirates …

The Unconstitutionality Of Oklahoma's Sq 755 And Other Provisions Like It That Bar State Courts From Considering International Law, Penny M. Venetis

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper will discuss SQ 755's many legal deficiencies, focusing primarily on its constitutional infirmities. First, SQ 755 is a clear violation of the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution. The prohibition on looking to international law requires that Oklahoma courts disregard U.S. treaty obligations, and the law of nations (also known as customary international law), which are all binding on American courts. Second, SQ 755 unconstitutionally limits a state's duty to give full faith and credit to the judicial decisions of other states. The law is clear that no state has the authority to condition its …

Clearing The Path For Land Rights, One Road Block At A Time: How Peru’S Indigenous Population Can Assert Their Land Rights Against Peru’S Government, Alex Meyers

Global Business Law Review

To the indigenous people of Peru, a strong relationship exists between land and livelihood. They depend on their land for the food they eat, the water they drink, and the resources they use to build their shelter. It follows that a threat to their property rights also threatens their survival; this past year, they have proven that they are prepared to defend their property rights with their lives. This Note shows that between the legal systems of Peru, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the United Nations (UN), Peru’s indigenous people should pursue their claim against Peru’s government in …

A Grotian Moment: Changes In The Legal Theory Of Statehood, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article examines the Grotian Moment theory and its practical application toward the legal theory of statehood. To that effect, this article describes, in Part II, the notion of a Grotian Moment. In Part III, it examines the legal theory of statehood in its traditional form. Part IV describes changes in the legal theory of statehood brought about by the forces of globalization in a Grotian Moment manner. These changes include a new notion of state sovereignty and the accompanying right to intervention, the emergence of human and minority rights that sometimes affect state territorial integrity, the existence of de …

International Law In Crisis: Piracy Off The Coast Of Somalia, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The rise of piracy off the coast of Somalia over the last five years has been spectacular, amounting to a true crisis in international law. During the first six months of 2011, Somali pirates attacked 163 ships and took 361 sailors hostage. As of June 30, 2011, Somali pirates were holding 20 ships and 420 crew members, demanding millions of dollars in ransom for their release. Moreover, pirates have been attacking larger ships, such as oil tankers, and using more potent weapons, such as rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. Pirates have also been attacking during monsoon season, an otherwise risky …