International Law

This course provides an introduction to the legal rules and institutions that comprise international legal order. We will examine the sources of international law (e.g., treaties, custom, and soft law); the relationship between international law and domestic law in the United States; and international rules governing human rights, war crimes, refugees, territorial sovereignty, the environment, the law of the sea, and the use of force. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss how international law applies to a variety of current controversies, including U.S. drone strikes in the Middle East, Russian intervention in Ukraine, the North Korean nuclear program, the Paris Climate Agreement, the South China Sea dispute, and the Syrian refugee crisis. Close Window

This course will survey a variety of laws that U.S. companies contend with when doing business overseas. Areas may include corporate law and securities regulation, commercial sales, employment discrimination, human rights, anti-corruption, intellectual property, dispute resolution, and various dimensions of international trade law. It will have both a doctrinal and a practical component. The course will be graded on the basis of in-class participation and a final examination. Close Window

A comprehensive survey of contemporary maritime law. Topics to be addressed include admiralty jurisdiction and procedure, the creation and enforcement of maritime liens, limitation of liability, maritime contracts, ship mortgage law, marine insurance contracts and principles, bills of lading, general average, and other maritime cargo issues, pilotage, towing, salvage, the law of seaman's injury and death, mariner's licensure, dealing with the modern piracy challenge, and an introduction to maritime environmental law. The course will have a practical focus, emphasizing legal concepts and practice tips of particular use to counsel representing ship owners, operators, seamen, marine insurance carriers, cargo interests, and others on a day-to-day basis. Close Window

This course will examine important cases in the field of Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act litigation and other areas involving claims against or the defense of foreign governments before United States federal courts and administrative agencies. Students will consider litigation involving Holocaust survivors, victims of the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, victims of Hamas suicide bombings and other incidents of terrorism sponsored by foreign states or aided and abetted by international banks. Discussion will focus on the practical implications and challenges of pursuing civil remedies, the enforcement of outstanding judgments and the intersection of such efforts with U.S. foreign policy concerns. Students will be required to write a 10-15 page paper due after the conclusion of the course. 1 credit (pass/fail). Close Window

This course introduces and compares sources of law, underlying values and goals, and applications of the major legal traditions of the world, including civil law, common law, Islamic law, Talmudic law, customary law, and Asian legal systems as they originally developed and as they are evolving and changing in the world today. Close Window

How the courts of a state address the fact that other states and nations, with their own laws, exist. The primary focus is choice of law--which state's or nation's law should apply to a case with multi-jurisdictional elements. Also covered will be the constitutional restrictions on choice of law and state court recognition of sister state judgments. Other possible topics are: the extraterritorial application of federal (including constitutional) law, state and federal court recognition of the judgments of foreign nations, and conflicts between federal and state law, including the Erie doctrine. Close Window

Legal Principles in Protecting the Past. This course will introduce students to the concept of cultural heritage and examine the laws and ethics involved with the protection of cultural property. Through discussions of public policy, domestic and international law, and international conventions, students will learn basic principles governing the movement and ownership of cultural heritage, particularly as related to the restitution and repatriation of stolen art. We will explore the effects of war, colonialism, and modern development on cultural heritage through case studies on looted antiquities, Nazi-plundered art, and tribal repatriation. In addition to case law and relevant legal treatises, students will review case filings to develop an understanding of how advocacy works in an emerging area of law. Students will write a graded final paper in lieu of a final examination. Close Window

The European Union (EU) is different in many ways from a Federation, although the exercise of power in the Union has some federal traits and one can draw some useful comparisons. 'European Union Law', in any case, is a heading that today refers to as many topics as 'US Law' would. Therefore, it is impossible to study with some depth in one single course all relevant and substantive aspects of European Union Law. In this introductory course we will study the basic Law of European Union (institutions, law- making procedures, legal remedies, role of the European Court, relationship between EC law and national law, all of this taking into account the recently passed Constitution). This will provide you with analytical tools to feel comfortable when you have to work in any area of substantive EC law. The method of instruction will be the typical interactive approach used in US law schools, although at times I will introduce or summarize a topic with a lecture. We will be using a set of teaching materials that you should obtain before the course starts. These materials are included in the book 'Foster on EU Law', by Nigel Foster. Class attendance is mandatory. Participation will be counted as an important part of the grade (50%). The exam will be a take home (open book) exam with two or three questions based on cases pending before the European Court or important current issues in the legal development of the EU. Close Window

This course will cover fundamental international human rights law. It will address the sources of international law, United Nations human rights instruments, domestic jurisdiction, organizations for enforcement for human rights law, non-governmental organizations that promote human rights enforcement, and current issues in human rights law. Close Window

This course will examine federal immigration law and policy. Topics include citizenship, admissions, deportation, an introduction to refugee law, and the role of the courts in reviewing the actions of executive officials. We will examine the history of immigration to the United States, the constitutional rights of non-citizens, the federal agencies that administer the immigration and citizenship laws, undocumented immigration, and the balance between national security and openness to non-citizens. Close Window

The course focuses on bilateral, regional and international agreements and principles governing ocean pollution, air pollution, hazardous and nuclear waste, deforestation, and other environmental problems with a global impact. This course will also address population control and food shortages under international law, especially in developing countries, and how these problems relate to international peace and security. The basic courses, Law 409 Public International Law and Law 424 Environmental Law, are not prerequisites, but are recommended. The course grade will be based on class participation and a paper. Close Window

This course examines the emergence of international criminal law during the last century and assesses the desirability and efficacy of international criminal prosecutions as a response to large-scale violence. The course traces the development of international criminal law, focusing primary attention on events taking place since the Nuremburg and Tokyo Tribunals, and concentrating in particular on the work of the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and East Timor, as well as the International Criminal Court. The court traces the substantive development of international criminal law through an examination of the core international crimes over which these bodies have jurisdiction: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. The course will likewise trace the development of international criminal procedure, a unique body of law that blends features of adversarial and non-adversarial criminal justice systems in an effort to meet the challenges of prosecuting large-scale crimes that can span many years, many miles, and feature many thousands of victims. Finally, the course will examine the political context in which the prosecution of international crimes takes place. It will consider the effect of such prosecutions on peace negotiations and the desirability of international prosecutions in comparison with other responses to mass atrocities, including domestic and transnational criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, lustration efforts, and reparations schemes. Completion of Public International Law is desirable though not compulsory. Close Window

This covers the regulation of international trade at the international level by organizations such as the World Trade Organization, at the regional level by such arrangements as the North American Free Trade Agreement, and at the national level by the U.S. and its principal trading partners through various U.S. trading institutions. Topics include the constitutional allocation of authority over international trade in the U.S., customs law, non- tariff barriers, import relief measures and other trade remedies, government procurement, trade in services, regional economic integrations, and the need to examine trade issues in relation to the new trade agenda, namely labor and environmental issues and the protection of intellectual property rights. Close Window

This course will examine the historic roots of Islam and its significance as law and religion before surveying several representative systems of Islamic law. Close Window

The National Security Law course will focus on the prosecution of national security offenses (e.g., terrorism, espionage and piracy) and the unique issues that arise during the litigation of such cases. In addition to examining the substantive statutes for the offenses, the course will address jurisdictional and venue provisions and the acquisition of evidence both domestically and overseas for these prosecutions. In doing so, the application of Miranda, the Confrontation Clause and other constitutional rights in the national security context will be examined. Particular emphasis will be given to the handling of classified information and its use pursuant to the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). Finally, the course will explore the ability of the Article III courts to handle national security prosecutions in contrast to military tribunals. Grades will be based on a final examination, graded by anonymous number (although class participation will also be considered). Close Window

This course will cover two aspects of post-conflict justice: retributive and restorative justice with respect to human depredations that occur during violent conflicts and mechanisms for restoring and enhancing justice systems that have failed or become weakened as a result of such conflicts. Areas of study will include policy issues relating to accountability, mechanisms for assessing accountability, post-conflict peacekeeping and justice, and (re-)establishing the rule of law in post-conflict environments. Close Window

This course examines the federal law and policies governing the purchase and sale of securities, particularly the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as well as the regulations and case law relating to each. More precisely, the course focuses on the litigation devices that help ensure more robust securities disclosure. (Securities-disclosure law forms the heart of the closely related Securities Regulation class, and much securities and corporate transactional work relies on a strong understanding of that law.) Although this course will touch on securities-disclosure law, its primary focus is thus different than the Securities Regulation course. This litigation-focused course will instead primarily study public and private litigation under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. It will also allocate much time to other important provisions under which much securities litigation proceeds today (namely, sections 11, 12, and 17 of the Securities Act of 1933). Lastly, the class will explore insider-trading prosecutions under the federal securities laws in an in-depth manner. Note; students may not enroll in LAW 697 Securities Litigation after successfully completing LAW 423 Securities Regulation, nor enroll for both courses concurrently. Close Window