Law Commons^™

The Iraqi High Criminal Court: Controversy And Contributions, Michael A. Newton

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The Iraqi High Criminal Court established to prosecute Saddam Hussein and other leading Ba’athists is one of the most visible of the current efforts to establish criminal accountability for violations of international norms. Juxtaposed against other tribunals, the High Criminal Court has provoked worldwide debate over its processes and its prospects for returning societal stability founded on respect for human rights and the rule of law to Iraq. This article explores in detail the legal basis for the formation of the High Criminal Court under the law of occupation. It addresses the relationship between the Iraqi model of prosecuting crimes …

He Knew Why He Was Here, D. D. Welch

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Hal was passionate about his Transnational Legal Studies Program. He was brought to Vanderbilt in 1965 to build an international law program from scratch. In these days of globalization, it is difficult to remember how innovative his work was. In his first year, there were three international law courses at the Law School, all taught by him. There was a testy difference of opinion on campus about whether international law materials should be housed in the Law Library or remain in the University's Central Library...and there were not many materials in that collection. When Maier was named Director of the …

Finding The Winning Combination: How Blending Organ Procurement Systems Used Internationally Can Reduce The Organ Shortage, Sarah E. Statz

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The shortage in transplantable organs worldwide not only leads to unnecessary death, but also to grave human rights abuses through illegal methods of procuring organs. The shortage leads some desperate to find an organ through any possible means, including purchasing an organ on the black market. The system for procuring organs in the United States is based on altruism, where potential donors have to opt in to the system in order for their organs to be donated. This creates issues at the time of death for medical professionals or the next of kin to decide whether their patient or loved …

The International Effects Of The Adoption Of A Consumption Tax In The United States, Matthew Mcmahan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note concludes that through the adoption of a consumption tax the United States will benefit from both short-and long-term gains. This Note presents the advantages of consumption taxes and where relevant, discusses a specific consumption tax proposal--the Fairtax Plan. The Author responds to several critiques of consumption taxation, including whether consumption taxes are disproportionately placed on labor, the existence of efficiency gains, the international effects, increased black market activity, and cross-border tax arbitrage.

In Honor Of Professor Harold G. Maier, David P. Stewart

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Among his many other significant accomplishments and career achievements, Professor Maier can count a singular experience which few in the field of international law are privileged to enjoy-that of spending a year as the Counselor on International Law at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

The Counselor occupies a senior position within the Office of the Legal Adviser. Organizationally, the incumbent reports to and works directly with the Legal Adviser and his Deputies in advising the Secretary of State and other senior officials on whatever fast-moving issues might occupy the foreign policy attention of the government at a …

The Detainee Treatment Act Of 2005: Embodying U.S. Values To Eliminate Detainee Abuse By Civilian Contractors And Bounty Hunters In Afghanistan And Iraq, Ryan P. Logan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The growth in the number of bounty hunters and civilian contractors accompanying the U.S. military into battle has swelled during the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Civilians have been utilized in all facets of those military campaigns, including the interrogation of suspected terrorists or insurgents. Faced with intense pressure to rapidly obtain information about terrorist operations and yet having little oversight of their interrogation activities, some of these contractors and bounty hunters have been accused of abusing detainees. This Note explores the legal avenues for addressing accusations of detainee abuse by U.S. civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq and concludes …

Human Dignity In The Line Of Fire: The Application Of International Human Rights Law During Armed Conflict, Occupation, And Peace Operations, John Cerone

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

One of the most controversial and politically charged issues in current human rights discourse is whether and to what extent states are bound by human rights obligations with respect to the conduct of their armed forces abroad in armed conflict, occupation, and peace operations. Underlying the controversy are a number of complex legal questions, several of which have eluded definitive resolution. Chief among these questions is whether individuals affected by the conflict are among those whose rights states are obliged to secure. Answering these questions is further complicated in situations of collective action, giving rise to such questions as whether …

Procuring Guilty Pleas For International Crimes: The Limited Influence Of Sentence Discounts, Nancy A. Combs

Vanderbilt Law Review

Approximately 90 percent of all American criminal cases are disposed of by means of guilty pleas, and a large percentage of defendants brought before courts in England, Australia, and other countries that use common-law procedures likewise plead guilty. Why do substantial numbers of defendants in national criminal justice systems choose to convict themselves when they are entitled to have their guilt formally adjudicated? The widely accepted primary reason is that they receive sentencing discounts when they choose to selfconvict. Most defendants charged with domestic crimes plead guilty following a process of plea bargaining between defense counsel and prosecutors. Although plea …

Doctrines Without Borders: Territorial Jurisdiction And The Force Of International Law In The Wake Of Rasul V. Bush, Brennan T. Brooks

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States responded with military action aimed at eradicating terrorist networks around the world. The action in Afghanistan resulted in several hundred captured enemy combatants being sent to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Because the base is not within the territory of the United States, the Bush administration took the position that the detainees could be held indefinitely without review in civilian courts. In a surprising move, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the detainees did have a right to petition civilian courts for habeas corpus review. Thus, the …

Criminal Defamation And The Evolution Of The Doctrine Of Freedom Of Expression In International Law, Jo M. Pasqualucci

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Restrictions on freedom of expression may take direct and indirect forms. A state may censor speech, criminalize defamation, harass the media or individual journalists, fail to investigate crimes against the media , require the compulsory licensing of journalists, or fail to enact freedom of information laws or laws that prohibit monopoly ownership of the media. A victim of a restriction on freedom of expression that violates international law may have no recourse in domestic courts, either because state law offers no remedy or because judges are too intimidated to enforce the laws as written. In such instances, victims need recourse …

Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf? The International Criminal Court As A Weapon Of Asymmetric Warfare, W. C. Austin

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The United States is engaged in a war on terror against enemies who wage "asymmetric war" through terrorism, media manipulation, and "law-fare"---exploiting judicial processes to achieve political or military objectives.

This Article explores whether the fledgling International Criminal Court (ICC) could eventually be exploited by these groups as a tool of asymmetric "law-fare." It briefly traces the history of the ICC and recounts why the United States opposes the Court. Examining the methods of asymmetric war, the Authors then explore whether the ICC could be exploited by future asymmetric warriors.

The Authors describe three asymmetric methods that could be used …

Linking The International Legal Framework To Building The Formal Foundations Of A "State At Risk", Michael Schoiswohl

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article describes and critically assesses the recent constitution-making process in Afghanistan in relation to the international legal framework. The Article provides an account of that process within the larger context of the state-building efforts as envisioned in the 2001 Bonn Agreement. Focusing on the interaction between national state-building and international normative benchmarks, the Article evaluates the extent to which the recently adopted Constitution links to the international legal framework. While paying lip service to the adherence of international law, including international human rights law, the Constitution does not adequately address the relationship between international legal obligations and municipal law. …

Toward Facilitating A Voice For Politically Marginalized Minorities And Enhancing Presidential Public Accountability And Transparency In Foreign Health Policymaking, Nina J. Crimm

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Residents of underdeveloped countries who belong to ethnic, racial, sexual, and political minorities usually endure relatively ineffective political voices. More than any other world population segment, these marginalized people are vulnerable to, and suffer from, compromised health and life expectancies. Their immense human tolls have spawned severe global humanitarian, economic, social, political, and security dilemmas contrary to the strategic interests of the United States. Despite recognition of these devastating harms here and abroad, the president as de facto primary U.S. foreign policymaker continues to formulate foreign health policy in an insular policymaking environment. The insularity enables the president to design …

Harold G. Maier: A World Class Fellow Indeed, Paul M. Kurtz

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Hal Maier has played many roles in my life: he has been my teacher, my boss, my advisor, my colleague, and most and best of all, my friend. In all those roles, he has exhibited enthusiasm, patience, tact, and brilliance. Not at all a bad combination, I would say.

Come with me back to his classroom, circa 1970-1971. The subject is Conflict of Laws (which was required back then) or Law of the European Economic Community (which one with no interest in international law only took because of the masterful teacher). Clad in white shirt and oh-so-narrow tie which he …

Transnational Litigation: Is There A "Field"? A Tribute To Hal Maier, Linda Silberman

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

I was pleased to be asked to offer a few words in honor of my friend, Professor Hal Maier, on the occasion of his retirement from Vanderbilt University Law School. I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Hal, not only because he has been a wonderful friend and colleague over the years, but also because he sparked my interest in a field to which I had only recently turned when we first met and one that now absorbs much of my time and attention. The "field"--if it can be characterized as such--is "international litigation" or "transnational litigation," and that …

Two (Or Five, Or Ten) Heads Are Better Than One: The Need For An Integrated Effort To International Election Monitoring, Rachel Ricker

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Election monitoring efforts have a crucial role to play in attaining the goals of self-determination and democratic sovereignty. Yet current election monitoring practice suffers from variance in the goals, standards, and strategies employed by the many organizations that engage in election monitoring and observation programs. This Note examines the current state of election monitoring within the framework for analyzing the legitimacy of rules proposed by Thomas Franck in his 1992 article "The Emerging Right to Democratic Governance," and concludes that the shortcomings of the current system fail to address many necessary aspects of legitimate self-governance of monitored nations. The Author …

Harold Maier, Comity, And The Foreign Relations Restatement, Andreas F. Lowenfeld

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Hal Maier's career and mine have interacted in several respects. We have both served in the Legal Adviser's Office of the State Department; we have both taught Conflict of Laws as well as International Law; and we have both tried to show--I believe successfully--that there is no sharp divide between "Public International Law" and "Private International Law." In particular, we have both been interested in the reach and limits of economic regulation across international frontiers, initially in connection with antitrust and securities regulation, but also in connection with economic sanctions, pollution controls, and other interactions of governmental and private activity. …

Universal Jurisdiction And The Pirate: Time For An Old Couple To Part, Joshua M. Goodwin

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

For hundreds of years, the world has allowed any nation-state to exercise universal jurisdiction over high seas piracy. This has been recently codified by the United Nations in the Convention on the Law of the Seas. It has been almost universally assumed that allowing states to do this was legitimate. As this Note will argue, however, the reasons for allowing states to exercise jurisdiction in this way no longer make sense in the modern world. Further, allowing states to exercise universal jurisdiction over pirates violates the due process rights of the pirates and poses a threat to international stability. To …

The Privacy Gambit: Toward A Game Theoretic Approach To International Data Protection, Horace E. Anderson Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This article briefly explores several scenarios in which economic actors compete and cooperate in order to capture the value in personal information. The focus then shifts to one particular scenario: the ongoing interaction between the United States and the European Union in attempting to construct data protection regimes that serve the philosophies and citizens of each jurisdiction as well as provide a strategic economic advantage. A game theoretic model is presented to explain the course of dealings between the two actors, including both unilateral and bilateral actions. Part I ends with an exploration of opportunities for seizing competitive advantage, and …

When Courts Make Law: How The International Criminal Tribunals Recast The Laws Of War, Allison M. Danner

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article argues that states often tacitly delegate lawmaking authority and that the Security Council did so in the case of the Tribunals. Although the historical record cannot definitely prove its validity, this hypothesis is supported by evidence from other international courts that lawmaking by international judiciaries is widespread and accepted by states, even if formally proscribed. The Article suggests that states do not acknowledge this delegation, however, in order both to perpetuate the fiction of state hegemony over international norm generation and to provide a shield behind which international courts can make law without suffering paralyzing political pressure that …