Comparative and Foreign Law Commons^™

The Proportionality Standard And Constitutional Culture: A Comparative Analysis Of Rights Adjudication In Canada And The French Republic, James Peter Barry

LLM Theses

It has been suggested that the migration of proportionality as a standard of constitutional review is bringing about a degree of convergence in rights norms across common and civil law jurisdictions. While scholars have noted its potential to shape rights norms in legal systems into which it is incorporated, few have analysed the ways in which proportionality is affected by the constitutional culture in which it is received. This thesis is a comparative analysis of the application of proportionality in Canada and the French Republic. It sheds light on the extent to which the operation of that standard is affected …

International Power On "Power", Steven Ferrey

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

Can international power be effectively used to control ‘power’? Power sector carbon emissions to the environment must be solved for a solution to the international problem of climate change. Many of the large developing countries are underwriting the largest in world history push into more high-carbon coal-fired power, which will wholly frustrate world climate control goals. The United Nations scientific panel concluded, with high certainty, that the world is passing the point of being able to control increase in world temperature to less than 2 degrees C. (3.8 degrees Fahrenheit), the so-called ‘tipping point’ of the Planet’s climate.

Tightening the …

Property And Political Community: Democracy, Oligarchy, And The Case Of Ukraine, Monica E. Eppinger

All Faculty Scholarship

Widening wealth gaps in Western democracies have brought new scrutiny to relationships between property and political community. For the prior quarter century, Western legal scholars have urged privatization around the globe as the key to a virtuous circle of "market democracy." This Article traces origins of the market democracy consensus to ideas that identify positive features of political community -- liberty, wealth, or democracy -- with private property ownership. Fieldwork in Ukraine, where Western privatization advice was followed at a time of founding a new polity, provides data to compare predictions with outcomes. Two unexpected figures -- the Oligarch and …

Comparative Jury Procedures, Kenneth S. Klein

Faculty Scholarship

The literature considering various possible procedural reforms to United States jury trial practice suffers from a high dose of American Exceptionalism. The experience of other nations rarely is acknowledged, much less considered as possibly informative. This Article argues that as a British-derived system of roughly identical vintage as the United States, the jury practices of Malta can inform American practice in three respects: (1) the desirability of increased juror interaction – in particular allowing oral juror questions to witnesses and allowing deliberation during the trial, (2) the utility of eliminating voir dire in jury selection, and (3) the possibility of …

Innovation And The Role Of Public-Private Collaboration In Contract Governance: Governing Global Finance: Towards Contractual Governance, Katharina Pistor

Faculty Scholarship

The global financial crisis demonstrated the vulnerability, if not failure, of existing governance structures for financial markets. Even if it is true that financial crises cannot be avoided, there may be room for improving existing structures. This chapter suggests that such an improvement might lie in switching from exclusive, hierarchical, and coercive forms of governance to inclusive, horizontal, cooperative ones—and uses the shorthand ‘contractual governance’ for the latter. Starting from the presumption that new forms of governance are frequently born in crisis, the chapter analyses several responses to the crisis and asks whether they display features of alternative forms of …

Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen: Battling Corporate Corruption In Brazil And The Problems With A Decentralized Enforcement Model, Michelle A. Winters

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Religion In Constitutions Emerging From Arab Spring Revolutions, Evelyn Aswad

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Judges As Gatekeepers To Mediation: The Russian Case, Kathryn Hendley

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In this Article, I investigate the role of judges in mediation in Russia. Using a mixed-methods approach that draws on my fieldwork in Russian courts as well as a 2013 survey of Russian judges, I explore their attitudes towards mediation and their willingness to recommend it to litigants. I use the survey data to inquire into the factors that tend to predict both their attitudes and behavior vis-avis mediation. The analysis reveals a remarkable division between judges' attitudes and their behavior. The surveyed judges are generally enthusiastic about the introduction of mediation, but this enthusiasm is not always reflected in …

Introduction: Constitutional Conflict And Development: Perspectives From South Asia And Africa, Sudha Setty, Matthew H. Charity

Faculty Scholarship

This Introduction was written for an eponymous joint program held on January 4, 2014 and hosted by the Section on Africa and the Section of Law & South Asian Studies, both of the Association of American Law Schools.

Surveillance, Secrecy, And The Search For Meaningful Accountability, Sudha Setty

Faculty Scholarship

One of the most intractable problems in the debate around maintaining the rule of law while combating the threat of terrorism is the question of secrecy and transparency. In peacetime, important tenets to the rule of law include transparency of the law, limits on government power, and consistency of the law as applied to individuals in the policy. Yet the post-9/11 decision-making by the Bush and Obama administrations is characterized with excessive secrecy that stymies most efforts to hold the government accountable for its abuses. Executive branch policy with regard to detention, interrogation, targeted killing and surveillance are kept secret, …

From Comparison To Collaboration: Experiments With A New Scholarly And Political Form, Annelise Riles

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In both the anthropology of law and comparative legal studies, a new direction for research and practice is emerging: collaboration. This article analyzes collaboration as a modality of comparative law and legal anthropology and indeed a wider template for social and political life at this moment. I consider the theoretical and practical reasons for its importance at this moment, and its implications for the relationship of comparative law and legal anthropology. I argue that the very ubiquity and mundanity of collaboration discourse and practice in law and policy suggests that a response cannot simply be critique from outside — it …

Particularized Social Groups And Categorical Imperatives In Refugee Law: State Failures To Recognize Gender And The Legal Reception Of Gender Persecution Claims In Canada, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Melanie Randall

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

The “Space Side” To “Harmful Interference”—Evaluating Regulatory Instruments In Addressing Interference Issues In The Context Of Satellite Communications, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Interference issues in the context of satellite communications can, in principle, be tackled with legal means from a variety of angles, due to the multifaceted character of both interference and satellite communications as a sector. From that perspective, the present contribution addresses the most important regulatory instruments available to address the particular aspects of satellite communications related to their usage of outer space, and represents a first summary effort to evaluate their particular scope, approach, and general effectiveness.

Repatriation Of Korean Cultural Property Looted By Japan-Can A Sincere Apology Resolve The Centuries-Old Korea/Japan Disputes?, Melissa (Youngjae) Koo

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will focus on the disputes between Korea, both North and South Korea, and Japan surrounding Korean cultural property looted by Japan and will explore concrete solutions for resolving such issues through alternative dispute resolution-more specifically, an apology. It will consider two predominant exampies of cultural property looting, which occurred during Japanese invasions of Korea-first, at the end of the sixteenth century and, the second, from 1910 to 1945. Additionally, Japan has frequently been characterized as being a "significant market" for stolen cultural property. It is reported that there are at least 34,157 objects of Korean origin in Japan, …

Accident Of Birth Or Matter Of Choice: Legal Recognition Of Transsexual People In The Common Law, Kevin K.S. Tso

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The purpose of the Article is to look at the recognition-or lack thereof-of transsexual people at common law in relation to the "proper" sex and gender with which they associate themselves. This Article will begin by addressing and defining transsexualism and how the medical community's position on this topic has evolved over the years. It will then look at the historical foundations of transsexualism in the common law, especially at the Corbett decision that held sway in England and Wales for over thirty-five years and was followed internationally. The Article will then provide an overview of the current positions in …

Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide: The Absence Of Public Policy On Intimate Partner Violence Abrogates The Rights To Health Care And Bodily Integrity Under The South African Constitution, Stu Woolman, Courtenay Sprague

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

An estimated 31-55% of South African women experience lfetime intimate partner violence ("IPV'). The imminent danger of physical, psychological or sexual violence that all South African women face daily not only threatens their very existence, it impairs their development and agency, and thus the ability of each woman to pursue a lfe that reflects her own comprehensive vision of a fulfilling way of being in the world. This article first establishes the legal basis for the proposition that the South African Constitution and South Africa's international obligations require a form of public intervention that has the ability to diminish IP …

Contested Spaces During Transition: Regime Change In Myanmar And Its Implications For Women, Amy Barrow

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

This article examines recent political and legal developments in Myanmar to promote and protect Buddhism and their implications for women. Myanmar is currently undergoing political regime change. While periods of transition often present an opportunity to contest stereotypical gender roles and discriminatory cultural practices, a rise in Buddhist ethno-nationalism risks undermining women's "spaces" in society. Drawing on qualitative research interviews with members of civil society and other actors in Yangon, this article discusses the accelerated development of laws on the protection of race and religion alongside the parallel development of Myanmar's first law specifically addressing violence against women, to explore …

Chinese Foreign Direct Investment Into Africa In The Context Of Brics And Sino-African Bilateral Investment Treaties, Catherine Elkemann, Oliver C. Ruppel

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

China is now the second largest economy in the world after the United States of America and is deemed to be the most influential member of the group of leading emerging economies, the so called BRICS partnership consisting of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa. According to the latest World Investment Report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (“UNCTAD”), China is also the second largest recipient of inward foreign direct investment (“IFDI”) and the third in terms of outward foreign direct investment (“OFDI”). In this context, Africa is emerging as an important destination …

An Experiment On The Role Of Penalty Clauses And The Level Of Legal Remedies For Breach Of Contract On The Prevention Of The Hold-Up Problem In Colombian Contract Law, Juan Antonio Gaviria

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

This article analyzes the results of an experiment with Colombian students testing the theories thatpenalty clauses and a high level of legal remedies for breach of contract prevent the hold-up problem. While the results of this experiment failed to statistically confirm the predictions of the theory, they did not reject them. Furthermore,the results show that held-up parties were better off after the parties renegotiated the contract when either a penalty clause was provided or the law increased the level of legal remedies in comparison with a benchmark scenario. On the other hand, the results are a contribution to the field …

Biosimilar Naming: A Call For Uniformity In A Complex Field, Jacqueline Genovese

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Recombinant technology has opened a pathway for a means of producing a variety of therapeutic proteins and generating the growth of the biopharmaceutical industry. Further, due the patent expirations of a number of biologics in the coming years, there has been an increased interest in the development of generic biologics, also known as biosimilars, and a widespread push for biosimilar FDA approval in the United States. While the pressure for the expansion of biosimilar approval is warranted, the FDA must be cautious when implementing regulatory guidelines. Since biologics differ greatly from small-molecule drugs, biologics have a distinct approval process. The …

Unilateral Non-Colonial Secession And The Criteria For Statehood In International Law, Glen Anderson

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The following article examines the interactions between the right of peoples to unilateral non-colonial (“UNC”) secession and the criteria for statehood in international law. In this respect a three-point thesis is developed. First, it is argued that the law of self-determination has resulted in a less strict application of the criteria for statehood based on effectiveness, particularly the effective government criterion. This means that a state created by UNC secession pursuant to the law of self-determination will not have its statehood called into question if lacks an effective government. Second, it is argued that the declaratory approach to recognition is …

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite: The United Nations Declaration Of The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples Fails To Protect Hopi Katsinam From The Auction Block In France, Samantha K. Nikic

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) compels member states to take action in order to protect the rights of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples, including the right to their cultural property. Notwithstanding the UNDRIP’s robust set of protections, its status as a nonbinding piece of international law remains its ultimate and most fatal flaw. France was an enthusiastic supporter of the UNDRIP at ratification, but has effectively abandoned their position. French auction houses and courts have allowed for sales of Native American sacred property to proceed despite the objections of the Hopi Tribe. In …

The Problem With Frand: How The Licensing Commitments Of Standard-Setting Organizations Result In The Misvaluing Of Patents, David Arsego

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Standard-setting organizations (SSOs) are bodies that oversee the development of technical standards. Technical standards are common technological designs that are used across a variety of platforms, for instance LTE, which is utilized throughout the mobile phone industry. Members of SSOs contribute different pieces of technology to an ultimate design, and if a patent covers the technology, it is called a standard-essential patent (SEP). SSOs require their members to license these patents to each other on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms. This Note analyzes the FRAND requirement and the different ways that courts and private parties interpret it. The ambiguity …

Reservations And The Cisg: The Borderland Of Uniform International Sales Law And Treaty Law After Thirty-Five Years, Ulrich G. Schroeter

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Scottish Independence Referendum And The Principles Of Democratic Secession, Benjamin Levites

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

On September 18, 2014, Scottish voters decided whether to sever the 307 years of unity between Scotland and the United Kingdom in an independence referendum. While the voters ultimately rejected independence, the process by which the Scots accomplished this historic exercise will inform further democratic secession movements.

This Note examines the significant implications of Scotland’s independence referendum by assessing the history of independence referendums and the present scope of relevant international law. The formative history of the independence referendum and modern precedential examples established the requirements for democratic secession. In turn, the Scottish independence referendum, in the context of evolving …

Retroactivity In The 1970 Unesco Convention: Cases Of The United States And Australia, Katarzyna Januszkiewicz

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

As the current trend of returning looted artifacts to their countries of origin continues to grow, the need for stricter law enforcement and a reevaluation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and its application has become apparent. Recently, museums and national governments worldwide have engaged in a repatriation dialogue through mutual cooperation with foreign institutions, rather than international litigation, which is both a long and expensive process. This is a result of both a shifting public opinion towards museums, and the growing awareness of the countries of origin regarding the value of their looted cultural heritage. Looted artifacts continue to flood …

The Right To No: The Crime Of Marital Rape, Women's Human Rights, And International Law, Melanie Randall, Vasanthi Venkatesh

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

More than half of the world’s countries do not explicitly criminalize sexual assault in marriage. While sexual assault in general is criminalized in these countries, sexual assault perpetrated by a spouse is entirely legal. The human rights violations inhere in acts of violence against women are now well recognized. Yet somehow marital rape is a particular form of gendered violence that has escaped both criminal law sanctions and human rights approbation in a great number of the world’s nations.

This silence in the law creates legal impunity for men who sexually assault or rape the women who are their wives …

Tax Anti-Avoidance Law In Australia And The United States, Susan C. Morse, Robert Deutsch

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Of Trucks, Trains, & Ships: Relative Liability In Multimodal Shipping, Amir H. Khoury

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

The Policy And Targets Of Criminal Enforcement Of Intellectual Property Rights In China And The United States, Haiyan Liu

Washington International Law Journal

This comparative study analyzes the targets, consequences, and influence factors of the criminal enforcement of intellectual property rights in the United States and China. The analysis reveals unexpected consequences when transplanting Western intellectual property law in Chinese contexts. Similarities in criminal enforcement between the two countries indicate that economic factors that are determinant forces in both the United States and China. These factors include such business practices as: (1) vehement business lobbying and the capture of enforcement agencies by top trademark corporations; (2) the size and market concentration level of top firms in an industry; and (3) trade association lobbying …