Inaugural Oath: Is Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution Symbolic or Legally Significant?

Yesterday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts erred in delivering the constitutionally prescribed oath of office to President-elect Barack Obama. In an apparent effort to avoid public offense to the Chief Justice, Obama repeated the incorrect phrasing. The 35-word oath is the only sentence given in quotes in the U.S. Constitution. Just last week, […]

Institutional Mechanisms to Prevent Mass-Scale Atrocities with U.S. Ambassador Williamson

On Thursday, at an event sponsored by the American Society of International Law, U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Clint Williamson identified four ways that governments can marshal efforts and resources to prevent mass-scale atrocities. He intends these efforts to strengthen institutional capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to potential crises. Amb. Williamson […]

Flying the U.S. Flag: Freedom of Speech and Private Contracts

Today, July 4th, is one of the rare days that I am allowed to fly the flag. Last month, ironically two days before national Flag Day in the United States, I received a notice from my condominium homeowners association prohibiting residents from displaying the U.S. flag from the exterior of our homes except on a […]

Nuremberg: Birth of International Law

Over 200 participants gathered today at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. for an all-day program to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the military trials held at Nuremberg from 1945-1949. Nuremberg prosecutors Henry King, Benjamin Ferencz, and Whitney Harris told their gripping stories, capturing in detail the first trials in history for crimes against humanity. Nuremberg’s […]

UN Criminal Courts – Preserving the Records

World-renowned archivist Trudy Huskamp Peterson is on a campaign for the preservation of and access to records of the temporary international criminal courts. She spoke in Washington, D.C. on 31 March 2006 at the American Society of International Law, during its centennial meeting, and again on 15 June 2006 at a private lunch. She addressed […]

Uganda Lobby Day – Delaying International Justice for Peace?

Today, human rights activists will meet with representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to bring attention to the Juba peace talks between the Ugandan government and the insurgent Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The activists seek additional humanitarian aid and high-level U.S. support for the peace talks, which are being mediated by the government […]

Sudan: ICC Prosecutor to Charge a Sitting Head of State

On Monday, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will seek the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir for crimes committed in Darfur over the past five years. The indictment will be publicly available on the ICC website and will outline the exact crimes charged under the Rome Statute. If charged with the crime of genocide, […]

ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of Sudanese President Al-Bashir for Genocide and Violations of International Law

Today, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo provided evidence to establish “reasonable grounds” for the issuance of an arrest warrant for current Sudanese President al-Bashir based on violations of international law. Specifically, the ICC Prosecutor detailed 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur since March 2003. The allegations of genocidal […]

Syria Accedes to the UN Mercenary Convention

On 23 October 2008, Syria acceded to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, becoming the 32nd state party. The treaty, also referred to as the UN Mercenary Convention, entered into force in 2001 in response to increasing concern over the accountability of private military companies providing security capabilities traditionally […]

Comparison of the ICJ and the ICC

This blog post compares the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is part of a series of background material on international law.