International Law Commons^™

Things We Do With Presumptions: Reflections On Kiobel V. Royal Dutch Petroleum, Carlos M. Vazquez

Notre Dame Law Review

The Court in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. relied on the presumption against extraterritoriality in declining to recognize a federal cause of action for the defendants’ alleged breaches of customary international law. The bulk of Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion for the Court defended the applicability of the presumption to the claims brought under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). As Justice Alito’s concurring opinion noted, however, the Chief Justice’s opinion adopted a “narrow approach” that “[left] much unanswered.” Similarly, Justice Kennedy’s concurrence observed that the Chief Justice’s opinion properly “[left] open a number of significant questions.” In determining what exactly …

The Future Of Human Rights Litigation After Kiobel, Roger P. Alford

Notre Dame Law Review

This Article begins from the premise that the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) no longer serves a useful purpose in litigating human rights claims. As others have argued in this issue, that premise may not be correct. Assuming it is, however, one should anticipate that human rights lawyers will pursue alternative avenues for relief.

Suing Americans For Human Rights Torts Overseas: The Supreme Court Leaves The Door Open, Doug Cassel

Notre Dame Law Review

In this author’s view, the concurring Justices are correct in allowing ATS suits against Americans for foreign torts. And contrary to narrow readings by some lower courts, even the majority’s rationale allows space for ATS causes of action for torts committed by Americans overseas. Kiobel was a suit by foreign plaintiffs, against foreign defendants, for foreign conduct. In that “foreign-cubed” case, the limited American jurisdictional interests at stake—mainly to afford redress for heinous international torts—were not enough to persuade the majority to overcome its presumption against extraterritorial application. Nor were they enough to convince the four Justices concurring in the …

Overhauling Esa Private Land Provisions In Light Of The Renewable Energy Boom On Federal Public Lands, Blair M. Warner

Notre Dame Law Review

Many of us are familiar with the recent rise in renewable energy development in the United States. What we are not as familiar with, however, is the story of the Mojave desert tortoise and how it succeeded in shutting down for three months what remains the largest solar energy project in the world. Taking a step back, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), now forty years old, has plodded along at a slow and steady pace, with Congress slowly chipping away at the ESA until it was transformed from “prohibitive to permissive.” While the ESA has had the benefit of a …

Public Sector Labor Policy: A Human Rights Approach, Robert Hebdon

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Diplomatic Asylum–A Contextual Approach, Paul Behrens

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article will deal with the conduct of diplomatic missions and their agents; it will primarily address the question of whether they are entitled to grant asylum on diplomatic premises. That is not the same as the question whether a refugee may be entitled to asylum on mission premises— the individual asylum seeker may be subject to a different set of norms.

The Future Of The Law Of Armed Conflict: Ostriches, Butterflies, And Nanobots , Eric Talbot Jensen

Michigan Journal of International Law

The historical fact that the law of armed conflict (LOAC) has always lagged behind current methods of warfare does not mean that it always must. This Article will argue that the underlying assumption that law must be reactive is not an intrinsic reality inherent in effective armed conflict governance. Rather, just as military practitioners work steadily to predict new threats and defend against them, LOAC practitioners need to focus on the future of armed conflict and attempt to be proactive in evolving the law to meet future needs.

The U.N. Committee Against Torture And Eradication Of Torture In Health Care Settings, Claudio Grossman

Research Reports & White Papers

This article explains that the United Nations Committee against Torture (hereinafter “the Committee”) has played a significant role in addressing the serious problem of torture in health care settings. In particular, the Committee’s Concluding Observations and Recommendations under Article 19 of the Convention against Torture have been an important tool in this area. The Committee has used these means to remind States parties of their obligation to provide adequate health care for persons held in detention centers and prisons, to address abuses and poor conditions in mental health institutions and psychiatric facilities, and to denounce the practice of punishing or …

The Applicability Of The Crime Of Aggression To Armed Conflicts Involving Quasi-States, Hyeyoung Lee

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

The crime of aggression, as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, is only applicable to inter-state armed conflicts. There is, however, a gray area when an armed conflict erupts in the territory of a recognized state and initially looks like civil war, but has international elements such as the involvement of a quasi-state whose status and rights are disputed in international law. Resolving the issue of whether the crime of aggression is applicable to disputes involving quasi-states is important because (1) there are many quasi-states throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa; and (2) quasi-states are a …

Leveraging Mining Investments In Water Infrastructure For Broad Economic Development: Models, Opportunities And Challenges, Perrine Toledano, Clara Roorda

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

The initial phase of the Leveraging Mining-Related Infrastructure Investments for Development project consisted of a worldwide survey of regulatory, commercial and operating case studies of shared use of mining-related infrastructure. This Policy Paper delivers the findings for water infrastructure.

The Impact Of Investment Treaties On Governance Of Private Investment In Infrastructure, Lise Johnson

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Governments are increasingly turning to the private sector to provide the capital, resources and/or know-how necessary for development and operation of infrastructure. In some cases, the involvement by the private sector will trigger coverage by an international investment treaty that overlies, and can override, the domestic law and contract that would otherwise be applicable to the project. This working paper discusses the circumstances affecting when an investment treaty will apply and also highlights some of the ways that investment treaties can impact governance of infrastructure development and operation. While focusing on the relationship between investment treaties and investments in infrastructure, …

A Framework To Approach Shared-Use Of Mining Related Infrastructure, Perrine Toledano, Sophie Thomashausen, Nicolas Maennling, Alpa Shah

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

In April 2013, CCSI was awarded a grant from the Australian Government to develop an economically, legally and operationally rational framework to enable shared use of mining-related infrastructure, including rail, ports, power, water, internet and telecommunications. The framework was obtained by distilling best practice principles from infrastructure developments around the world, guided by expert opinion. It has most recently been refined through in-depth case studies in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique, although its principles aim to be of general relevance to all resource rich African countries. The report was finalized in March 2014.

Two Myths About The Alien Tort Statute, Anthony J. Bellia Jr., Bradford R. Clark

Journal Articles

In Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., the Supreme Court applied the presumption against extraterritorial application of U.S. law to hold that the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) did not encompass a claim between aliens for misconduct that occurred in another nation. Without much elaboration, the Court stated that the ATS only encompasses claims that “touch and concern the territory of the United States . . . with sufficient force to displace the presumption.” As it did in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, the Kiobel Court purported to rest its decision on the original public meaning of the ATS when enacted in 1789. …

Energy Reform In Mexico: Lessons And Warnings From International Law, Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez

Faculty Scholarship

The article analyzes some of the contents of the Mexican Energy Reform of 2013 and warns on the international legal implications that the path that Mexico has chosen to follow could bring to its economy and international relations. Concretely, it argues that in order to avoid falling into the same mistakes made by other Latin American countries in the region, Mexico must consider its obligations contained in international treaties signed with the United States on transboundary resources, and its obligations in bilateral investment treaties that protect foreign investors from certain government acts and policies.

Reconciling Energy And Food Security Law, Rhett B. Larson

University of Richmond Law Review

This article argues that making "water security" a more predominant policy aim can help reconcile and integrate energy security and food security. Water security is the condition of a nation and its citizens having reasonable physical and economic access to sufficient and sustainable water, combined with acceptable levels of water-related risks (e.g., drought, flood, and water-related plagues).

Suing Americans For Human Rights Torts Overseas: The Supreme Court Leaves The Door Open, Douglass Cassel

Journal Articles

If American citizens or corporations commit gross violations of human rights against foreign victims on foreign shores, can the victims sue the Americans for damages in United States federal courts? Until recently the answer was clearly yes. However, following the diverse opinions in the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., the question has divided lower courts to date.

This Article argues that, as a matter of both domestic and international law, and under both the majority and minority rationales in Kiobel, federal courts can and should hear tort suits against American nationals for human rights …

Immunity Games: How The State Department Has Provided Courts With A Post-Samantar Framework For Determining Foreign Official Immunity, Erica E. Smith

Vanderbilt Law Review

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Samantar v. Yousuf that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act ("FSIA") does not govern the application or determination of foreign official immunity.' Instead, the Court found that the immunity of foreign officials was "properly governed by the common law."2 While the Court failed to explicitly define these common-law principles, it did note that the State Department would play a role in individual official immunity determinations.3 In the years since, the State Department has done just that. Through officially submitted Suggestions of Immunity and Statements of Interest, the State Department has rejuvenated its standards for …

Slides: “Human Sustainability” In Natural Resources Industries: The New Frontier In Compliance, Social Responsibility, Disclosure, And Transparency, T. Markus Funk

Natural Resource Industries and the Sustainability Challenge (Martz Winter Symposium, February 27-28)

Presenter: T. Markus Funk, Partner, Perkins Coie

21 slides

The Bull In The China Shop: Raising Tensions In The Asia-Pacific Region, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This paper examines the legality of China's recent endeavors to change the status quo in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically with respect to the announcement of an ADIZ over the East China Sea. The piece concludes with recommendations for potential U.S. responses.

The Us Should Respect Venezuela’S Democracy, Lauren Carasik

Media Presence

No abstract provided.