Law Commons^™

Nonparty Jurisdiction, Aaron D. Simowitz, Linda J. Silberman

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Supreme Court's recent decisions on personal jurisdiction, including its 2021 decision in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, have all focused on the adjudication of plenary claims. In seven years, the Court has decided six major cases on personal jurisdiction in that context. However, these precedents also appear to guide lower courts in areas outside the traditional focus of personal jurisdiction doctrine but where personal jurisdiction is nonetheless necessary. For example, a court must have personal jurisdiction over a nonparty witness in order to compel the witness to testify or to produce documents. A court must …

European Union Law As Foreign Law, Lior Zemer, Sharon Pardo

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The importance and significance of comparative sources to the development of Israeli jurisprudence is expressed in local legislation and rulings. The impact of foreign law on the development of Israeli law has been analyzed and vindicated in numerous studies in the local legal literature. These studies typically focus on the two most prominent legal systems—-common law (the Anglo-American system) and civil law (the Continental system). The historical reasons for this are clear, emanating from the fact that Israel’s legal system is based on these legal regimes and is amended in the spirit of changes made to them. Over the years, …

The Image Of European Union Law In Bilateral Relations, Sharon Pardo, Lior Zemer

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The impact of foreign law on the development of national laws has been analyzed and vindicated in numerous studies in comparative legal literature. These studies typically focus on the two most prominent legal systems--common law (the Anglo-American system) and civil law (the Continental system). The historical reasons for this are clear, emanating from the fact that the world's legal systems are based on these legal regimes and are amended in the spirit of changes made to them. Over the years, however, with the many effects of legal and economic globalization, legal systems have become a diverse mosaic which has appropriated …

Beyond Samuel Moyn's Countermajoritarian Difficulty As A Model Of Global Judicial Review, James T. Gathii

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article responds to Samuel Moyn's critique of judicial review and his endorsement of judicial modesty as an alternative. By invoking the countermajoritarian difficulty, Moyn argues that judicial overreach has become an unwelcome global phenomenon that should be reexamined and curbed. I reject Moyn's claim that this kind of judicial modesty should define the role of courts for all time. By applying the countermajoritarian difficulty beyond its United States origins, Moyn assumes it is an unproblematic baseline against which to measure the role of courts globally. Moyn's vision says nothing about when it would be appropriate for courts to rule …

Judges As Guardian Angels: The German Practice Of Hints And Feedback, Robert W. Emerson

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The German practice of Richterliche Hinweispflicht is a judicial duty to give hints and feedback. In a very proactive position, the German judge asks questions of the parties designed to clarify and sharpen the key facts and issues and to give the parties a chance to correct matters that may be grounds for disposition. German judges also must ensure that the parties understand all matters that could affect the outcome of the case. In effect, the German judge's roles may be viewed as civil servant, teacher, and activist, rather than as umpire and overseer, as in the United States.

American …

Jurisdictional Standards (And Rules), Adam L. Muchmore

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article uses the jurisprudential dichotomy between two opposing types of legal requirements--"rules" and "standards"--to examine extraterritorial regulation by the United States. It argues that there is natural push toward standards in extraterritorial regulation because numerous institutional actors either see standards as the best option in extraterritorial regulation or accept standards as a second-best option when their first choice (a rule favorable to their interests or their worldview) is not feasible.

The Article explores several reasons for this push toward standards, including: statutory text, statutory interpretation theories, the nonbinary nature of the domestic/foreign characterization, the tendency of extraterritorial regulation to …

The Political Economy Of Jus Cogens, Paul B. Stephan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article examines the basis of an asserted jus cogens exception to sovereign immunity. It demonstrates that the vision of jus cogens one embraces depends on background assumptions about the present and future of the international system. A robust conception of jus cogens assumes: (1) that independent judges and tribunals, informed by the views of non-state actors, can identify core international obligations and manage their tradeoffs with other values pursued by the international legal system, and (2) that the actions of independent judges and tribunals, informed by non-state actors, will influence state behavior. Doubts about the abilities of judges and …

Changing The International Law Of Sovereign Immunity Through National Decisions, Lori F. Damrosch

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The international law of sovereign immunity derives from state practice embodied in national judicial decisions and legislation. Although some U.S. Supreme Court decisions refer to this body of law using terms like "grace and comity," the customary international law of sovereign immunity is law, which national courts should consider when arriving at immunity decisions. While it would be possible for a widely followed international treaty to work changes in customary international law, the UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property has not done so yet. National legislation such as the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act can precipitate …

Elections And Government Formation In Iraq: An Analysis Of The Judiciary's Role, Charles P. Trumbull Iv, Julie B. Martin

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In 2005, the people of Iraq ratified a permanent Constitution, a significant milestone in the journey from Saddam Hussein's authoritarian rule to democratic governance. Among the Constitution's fundamental guarantees are the separation and balance of powers, the selection of Parliament through regular and periodic popular election, and an independent judiciary empowered as the authority on constitutional interpretation. Iraq's commitment to democracy and the Constitution was put to the test five years later with the first parliamentary election under the new Constitution. The run-up to the elections was marred by political disputes, violence, and legal challenges, as Iraqis argued over controversial …

The Islamic Rule Of Lenity: Judicial Discretion And Legal Canons, Intisar A. Rabb

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article explores an area of close parallel between legal doctrines in the contexts of Islamic law and American legal theory. In criminal law, both traditions espouse a type of "rule of lenity" that curious common law rule that instructs judges not to impose criminal sanctions in cases of doubt. The rule is curious because criminal law is a peremptory expression of legislative will. However, the rule of lenity would seem to encourage courts to disregard one of the most fundamental principles of Islamic and American legislation and adjudication: judicial deference to legislative supremacy. In the Islamic context, such a …

Judicial Review Under A British War Powers Act, David Jenkins

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article considers how U.K courts might exercise review under a hypothetical British "war powers act," in the event that the current Labour Government or an incoming Tory one responds to calls to reform the Royal War Prerogative and Parliament passes such a statute. The Article undertakes a comparative study, analyzing how U.S. courts apply the political question doctrine in war powers cases. It suggests that they apply the doctrine in a way that assesses the justiciability of the particular subject matter of a case, thereby supporting deference to the political branches in most war powers cases without foreclosing review …

A Foothold For Real Democracy In Eastern Europe, Elizabeth R. Sheyn

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Ukraine has never had a criminal or civil jury trial despite the fact that the right to a criminal jury trial is guaranteed by Ukraine's Constitution. The lack of jury trials is one of the factors likely contributing to the corruption and deficiencies inherent in Ukraine's judicial system. This Article argues that Ukraine can and should make room for juries in its judicial system and proposes a framework for both criminal and civil jury trials. Although the use of juries will not remedy all of the problems plaguing Ukraine, it could bring the country closer to achieving a truly democratic …

Gender Justice Through Public Interest Litigation: Case Studies From India, Avani M. Sood

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article examines the application of the Supreme Court of India's enterprising Public Interest Litigation (PIL) mechanism to a subject of compelling global concern: violations of women's rights. India is currently receiving much international attention for its dynamism and innovation on various fronts, yet the country also remains steeped in centuries-old norms and conventions. This tension is reflected in the decisions of the Supreme Court, which has assumed an active role in enforcing women's rights through PIL but is sometimes limited in this regard by the complex cultural context in which it operates. Based on an analysis of Indian constitutional …

Improving The Appellate Process Worldwide Through Maximizing Judicial Resources, Honorable J. Clifford Wallace

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

As the number of cases filed each year has surged, U.S. federal appellate courts have evolved in order to fulfill their core functions of deciding appeals and setting guiding precedent. Many of the challenges created by overwhelming caseloads are also being tackled in foreign judicial systems. In this Article, Judge Wallace offers the approach of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as a possible model of reform, although he also points out that each judiciary will need to tailor reform efforts to its particular circumstances. In Part II, Judge Wallace details several of the case management …

The Future Of The World Health Organization: What Role For International Law?, David P. Fidler

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article has tried to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of international law in WHO's future. Whether WHO realizes it, international law has had and will continue to have effects on international health policy. In the future, WHO has a choice: It can continue to act as if international law plays no role in global public health or it can build the commitment and capacity needed to integrate international law into its endeavors and into the creation of global health jurisprudence. Building such commitment and capacity will not resurrect WHO to its past glories, but they may very …

The Irish Abortion Debate: Substantive Rights And Affecting Commerce Jurisprudential Models, Anne M. Hilbert

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note examines the balance of power between the European Community and its Member States through the window of the Irish abortion debate. The framework for that debate has been shaped largely by two judicial bodies: the Irish judiciary and the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the judicial arm of the European Community. The Irish judiciary has approached the abortion question through an analysis of the content of substantive individual rights protected by the Irish Constitution. The ECJ, on the other hand, has addressed abortion from the standpoint of the European Community's goal of uninhibited commerce between Member States. These …

Straightening The "Timber": Toward A New Paradigm Of International Law, Louis R. Beres

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Immanuel Kant once remarked: " Out of timber so crooked as that from which man is made, nothing entirely straight can be built." Understood in terms of international law, this philosopher's wisdom points toward a far-reaching departure from traditional emphases on structures of global power and authority. Newly aware that structural alterations of international law are always epiphenomenal, ignoring root causes of international crimes in favor of their symptomatic expressions, we could craft from this departure a new and promising jurisprudence. Acknowledging that human transformations must lie at the heart of all world-order reform, we could build upon the knowledge …

Provisional Measures In The Inter-American Human Rights System: An Innovative Development In International Law, Jo M. Pasqualucci

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In this Article, Professor Pasqualucci examines the developing jurisprudence of provisional measures in the Inter-American human rights system. Through the adoption of provisional measures, a human rights court may order a state to protect persons who are in danger of imminent death or torture. The author first provides an overview of the Inter-American system of human rights. She then describes the historical background of the jurisprudence of provisional measures in the International Court of Justice and the European human rights system, which served as models for provisional measures in the developing Inter-American system. Finally, she analyzes the use of provisional …

Finance, Rules And The Indexation Of Brazilian Government Bonds, Mark J. Roe

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In roughly a dozen years, Brazil has created a sophisticated multi-billion dollar system of public debt in the midst of an unpredictable inflationary financial climate. During this time the government bonds were initially all indexed against inflation; the obligations were automatically periodically adjusted in accordance with price index changes. However, as shall be seen, the indexation of the bonds was not necessarily the cause of the expansion of the market for public debt.

The legal-economic mechanism of Brazilian indexation is not widely understood in the United States. The method used to calculate the index that provides the basis for readjusting …

The Beagle Channel Affair: A Failure In Judicial Persuasion, David M. Himmelreich

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

It has been demonstrated that although the Argentine Declaration of Nullity does not contain valid legal arguments for rejection, it does indicate weaknesses in the Court's opinion that make it vulnerable to rejection for political reasons. Specifically, the Court's remarks about Chilean possession of disputed islands outside the hammer were especially ill-advised. In addition, the Court failed to clearly articulate the reason for dividing the small Channel islands by appurtenance while refusing to do so for PNL. Finally, the Court's refusal to apply an Oceanic principle, even in a narrow sense, was questionable in a case in which the legal …

Books Received, C. C. S.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

ACCESS TO ENERGY: 2000 AND AFTER

By Melvin A. Conant

Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1979. Pp. 134.

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THE CHEYENNE WAY: CONFLICT AND CASE LAW IN PRIMITIVE JURISPRUDENCE

By K.N. Llewellyn and E. Adamson Hoebel Norman:

University of Oklahoma Press, 1978. Pp. 360.

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CHINESE LEGAL TRADITION UNDER THE MONGOLS: THE CODE OF 1291 AS RECONSTRUCTED

By Paul Heng-chao Ch'en.

Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. Pp. 205.

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EUROPEAN CAPITAL MARKETS: TOWARDS A GENERAL THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT

By Bruno H. Solnik

Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books, 1973. Pp. 114.

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MODERN INTERNATIONAL LAW

By R.C. Hingorani

Oceana: Dobbs …

Book Review, Igor I. Kavass

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The limited use of American case law in the Commonwealth countries should not be surprising. With the exception of English cases, the decisions of other Commonwealth countries receive the same indifferent treatment in all Commonwealth jurisdictions; the English courts studiously ignore the decisions of other Commonwealth countries. For that matter, American courts do not consult the case law of English and other Commonwealth countries all too frequently. Espinoza v. Farah Manufacturing Co. is a recent example in point. In that case, the Supreme Court was asked to interpret the meaning of the terms "nationality" and "national origin" as used. in …

The Jurisprudence Of Judge Hardy Cross Dillard, Charles E.M. Kolb

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The purpose of this article is to provide a critical assessment of Judge Dillard's performance during his tenure on the International Court of Justice. Much of this article will be "jurisprudential" in scope, endeavoring to examine developments in international legal theory and international organizations during the past two decades and to assess recent decisions written by the Court. The approach will in part be an institutional one, taking into consideration the ability of an individual member of the Court to shape decisional outcomes of an international body which must resolve contentious litigation and render advisory opinions within the structure of …

Case Digest, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Case Digest

1. ACT OF STATE ACT OF STATE DOCTRINE APPLIES TO INFORMAL ACTIONS OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS IF THE GOVERNMENTAL AGENT ACTS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF HIS AUTHORITY

2. ADMIRALTY SIGNIFICANT--RELATIONSHIP-TO-MARITIME-ACTIVITY TEST USED TO DETERMINE ADMIRALTY TORT JURISDICTION

3. ALIEN'S RIGHTS REGULATIONS EXCLUDING RESIDENT ALIENS FROM EMPLOYMENT IN FEDERAL COMPETITIVE CIVIL SERVICE VIOLATE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE OF FIFTH AMENDMENT

4. AVIATION MENTAL DISTRESS ATTACHES TO AN AIR CARRIER'S STRICT LIABILITY FOR BODILY INJURY UNDER THE WARSAW CONVENTION

5. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION CONGRESS MAY GRANT CITIZENSHIP TO FOREIGN-BORN CHILDREN OF CITIZEN FATHERS, WHILE DENYING SAME TO OFFSPRING OF CITIZEN MOTHERS

6. …

Book Reviews, Max Rheinstein, Eugene V. Rostow, William O. Thweatt

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

JUDICIAL REVIEW IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

By Mauro Cappelletti

Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1971. Pp. xi, 117. $8.50 ($4.50 student edition).

reviewer: Max Rheinstein

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THE PRICE OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE

Philip C. Jessup

New York: Columbia University Press, 1971. Pp. ix, 82. $5.95.

reviewer: Eugene V. Rostow

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THREE WORLDS OF DEVELOPMENT: THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL STRATIFICATION

By Irving Louis Horowitz

New York: Oxford University Press, 1972. Pp. xxx, 556. $15.00 (Paperback, $3.50).

reviewer: William O. Thweatt

Books Received, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

G.I. RIGHTS AND ARMY JUSTICE: THE DRAFTEE'S GUIDE TO MILITARY LIFE AND LAW

By Robert S. Rivkin

New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1970. Pp. vii, 383. $1.75.

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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION

By Ernst B. Haas

Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1970.Pp. vii, 184.

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INDIRECT TAXATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

By John F. Due

Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1970. Pp. v, 201. $9.00.

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INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: THE REGULATION OF THE RADIO SPECTRUM

By David M. Leive

Dobbs Ferry, N. Y.: Oceana Publications Inc., 1970. Pp. 11, 386.$16.50.

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THE WINDS OF FREEDOM

By Dean Rusk …

A Comparison Of The Roles Of American And Civil Law Judges In The Development Of The Law, James C. Hair

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The traditional distinction between a judge in the Civil Law System and his counterpart in the United States is that the former only applies codified law, while the latter not only applies but also "makes" law through judicial decision. The theory underlying the Civil Law System holds that development of the law is the exclusive province of the legislature and that judges are not to engage in such activity unless the legislature permits it. In France, for example, to ensure that judges do not exceed their authority, the Civil Code prohibits a judge, under threat of criminal sanction, from basing …

Case Comments, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Sovereign Immunity and Act of State -- A Foreign Sovereign instituting Suit in a United States Court waives Immunity to a Set-off arising from an Act of that Sovereign

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International Law--Nuremburg Doctrine invoked in Domestic Court-Martial