International Law Commons^™

Conflict Of Norms Or Conflict Of Laws?: Different Techniques In The Fragmentation Of International Law, Ralf Michaels, Joost H.B. Pauwelyn

Faculty Scholarship

One of the most pressing topics in current international law is fragmentation. Traditionally, most constructive attempts to deal with fragmentation have been based on analogies what one of us, in an earlier book, called "conflicts of norms" - those rules in domestic law that deal with conflicts of norms within one legal system. In this article, we assess under what circumstances a different approach, based on an analogy to conflict of laws - those rules in domestic law that deal with conflicts of norms between different legal systems - yields a more adequate structure. The result is that public international …

"Consumer Choice" Is Where We Are All Going - So Let's Go Together, Neil W. Averitt, Robert H. Lande, Paul Nihoul

All Faculty Scholarship

Globalisation of business makes it important for firms to predict how their behaviour is likely to be treated in the roughly 200 nations that have competition laws. In that context, a crucial question is: are we in a position to develop a common intellectual framework that would give coherence to policy statements made on specific competition related issues and, at the same time, be acceptable, broadly, in a variety of legal systems, not necessarily based on identical assumptions? We believe that the answer is “yes.” A concept is emerging as a possible source of unification for competition policies around the …

International Law And The U.S. Common Law Of Foreign Official Immunity, Curtis A. Bradley, Laurence R. Helfer

Faculty Scholarship

In Samantar v. Yousuf, 130 S. Ct. 2278 (2010), the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not apply to lawsuits brought against foreign government officials for alleged human rights abuses. The Court did not necessarily clear the way for future human rights litigation against such officials, however, cautioning that such suits “may still be barred by foreign sovereign immunity under the common law.” At the same time, the Court provided only minimal guidance as to the content and scope of common law immunity. Especially striking was the Court’s omission of any mention of the …

Empagran’S Empire: International Law And Statutory Interpretation In The Us Supreme Court Of The 21st Century, Ralf Michaels

Faculty Scholarship

In its Empagran decision in 2004, the US Supreme Court decided that purchasers on foreign markets could not invoke US antitrust law even against a global cartel that affects also the United States. The article, forthcoming in a volume dedicated to the history on international law in the US Supreme Court, presents three radically different readings of the opinion. The result is that Empagran is a decision that is transnationalist in rhetoric, isolationist in application, and hegemonial in its effect. A decision with a seemingly straightforward argument is found riddled in the conflict between these different logics. A decision with …

Emergency And Escape: Explaining Derogations From Human Rights Treaties, Laurence R. Helfer, Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, Christopher J. Fariss

Faculty Scholarship

Several prominent human rights treaties attempt to minimize violations during emergencies by authorizing states to “derogate”—that is, to suspend certain civil and political liberties—in response to crises. The drafters of these treaties envisioned that international restrictions on derogations and international notification and monitoring mechanisms would limit rights suspensions during emergencies. This article analyzes the behavior of derogating countries using new global datasets of derogations and states of emergency from 1976 to 2007. We argue that derogations are a rational response to domestic political uncertainty. They enable governments facing serious threats to buy time and legal breathing space from voters, courts, …

Mandatory Versus Default Rules: How Can Customary International Law Be Improved?, Curtis A. Bradley, Mitu Gulati

Faculty Scholarship

Customary International Law (CIL) is plagued with uncertainties about its sources, its content, its manipulability, and its normative attractiveness. The rise of law-making through multilateral treaties also makes the proper role of CIL increasingly uncertain. This is an opportune time, therefore, to be thinking of ways to revive and improve CIL. In a prior article, we argued that the "Mandatory View" of CIL, pursuant to which nations are barred from ever withdrawing unilaterally from rules of CIL, is functionally problematic, at least when applied across the board to all of CIL. We also suggested that CIL might be improved by …

Greek Debt: The Endgame Scenarios, Mitu Gulati, Lee C. Buchheit

Faculty Scholarship

Perhaps Greece -- a country with a debt to GDP already approaching 150 percent and set to move even higher -- avoids a debt restructuring. Perhaps not.

What are the possible scenarios if Greece cannot return to the capital markets to refinance this gargantuan debt stock once its EU/IMF bailout package expires in two years time? What would a Greek debt restructuring look like after mid-2013? And (sharp intake of breath here) what would happen if such a debt restructuring were undertaken before that point?

Global Problems In Domestic Courts, Ralf Michaels

Faculty Scholarship

We face an increasing number of problems that are essentially global in nature because they affect the world in its entirety: global cartels, climate change, crimes against humanity; to name a few. These problems require world courts, yet world courts in the institutional sense are largely lacking. Hence, domestic courts must function, effectively, as world courts. Given the unlikelihood of effective world courts in the future, our challenge is to establish under what conditions domestic courts can play this role of world courts effectively and legitimately.

Introductory Note To The International Centre For Settlement Of Investment Disputes: Aes Summit Generation Ltd. V. Republic Of Hungary, Charles O. Verrill Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Symposium Introduction, Stephen Yale-Loehr

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

A profile of law professor and author John F. Murphy is presented, including information on his educational background, his teaching experience at institutions such as the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and his authorship of several books and monographs. Murphy's selection as a recipient of the 2011 Louis B. Sohn Award for Public International Law is also mentioned.

The Role Of International Law And Practice In Addressing International Tax Issues In The Global Era, Charles H. Gustafson

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

The article discusses the role of international law and practice in deciphering complex international tax policy and administration issues as of July 2011. An August 2009 deal between the U.S. and Switzerland, known as the U.S.-Swiss Agreement, is also mentioned. The international law of jurisdiction is examined as it relates to the issue of double taxation.

The United States And International Law: The United Nations Finds A Home, Mark Weston Janis

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

An essay is presented on the relationship between the U.S. and the United Nations (UN) as of July 2011, focusing on the commitment of the U.S. to international law and international organization, as well as a historical overview of the UN and its facilities in the U.S. John F. Murphy's book "The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs" is also mentioned.

Under International Standards Of Justice, Can Audio Or Video Recordings Of Distress Calls And Footage From Vessels Allegedly Subjected To Piratical Attacks Be Admitted Into Evidence? How Would Authenticity Be Proved? Does This Deny The Opportunity To Cross-Examine?, Baker & Mckenzie Llp

War Crimes Memoranda

No abstract provided.

Reconciling European Union Law Demands With The Demands Of International Arbitration, George A. Bermann

Fordham International Law Journal

Part I of this Essay traces the traditional divide between EU law and the law of international arbitration. This Essay then identifies two developments, both emanating from the EU-law side of the equation, that are in the process of altering this landscape. The first, discussed in Part II, is the prospective amendment on arbitration to the Brussels Regulation on Jurisdiction and Enforcement of Judgments; the second, discussed in Part III, is the transfer of exclusive competence over policy in the area of foreign direct investment, itself a developing arena of international arbitration, to the EU from the Member States. Because …

A Unified Approach To Extraterritoriality, Anthony J. Colangelo

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

This Article develops a unified approach to extraterritoriality. It uses the source of lawmaking authority behind a statute to discern the proper canon for construing that statute’s geographic reach and to evaluate whether application of the statute violates due process.

The approach holds important implications for a variety of high-stakes issues with which courts are presently wrestling, including: the proper role of the presumption against extraterritorial application of U.S. law, whether international law or federal common law should supply the rule of decision in Alien Tort Statute cases, the scope of U.S. jurisdiction over terrorism offenses, and the viability of …

Reaching Beyond The State: Judicial Independence, The Inter-American Court Of Human Rights And Accountability In Guatemala, Edward H. Warner, Davis Jeffery

Celebrating WCL Student Authors

The authors examine the role of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its efforts to impose accountability for human rights violations in Latin America. They suggest that because domestic enforcement mechanisms are irreconcilably deficient in this task, accountability must emanate from beyond the state. They test this contention by examining one of the most challenging nations in the region – Guatemala.

What Domestic And International Legal Efforts Can Best Ensure The Freezing Of Assets And Money Acquired Through Acts Of Piracy?, Baker & Mckenzie Llp

War Crimes Memoranda

No abstract provided.

Would The Right Of Hot Pursuit Enable Third States To Apprehend Pirates In The Territorial Waters Of Another State Without Its Consent?, Brett Ashley Edwards

War Crimes Memoranda

No abstract provided.

In What Ways Should Provisions And Agreements Governing Surrender And Legal Assistance Of A Security Council-Created Piracy Court Differ From A War Crimes Tribunal?, Brett Ashley Edwards

War Crimes Memoranda

No abstract provided.

Use Of Force By Private Contractors Against Somali Pirates, Effy Folberg

War Crimes Memoranda

No abstract provided.