60th Anniversary of the Genocide Convention: Impunity No More?

Sixty years ago today on 9 December 1948, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by Resolution 260 (III). Outside in the hallway, an unassuming lawyer from Warsaw sat alone upon the floor in tears. His fifteen years of effort to name and prohibit […]

Inaugural Countdown: Legal Challenge to Inaugural Oath and Prayer

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton dismissed a constitutional challenge to the inclusion of religious references and prayer at Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony on the basis that the plaintiffs failed to show “concrete and immediate” harm. Thus, he concluded that the plaintiffs lacked standing to request extraordinary injunctive relief. At issue in Newdow v. Roberts was […]

Dream Alive: “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt”

Today in the United States, we honored the memory and life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. In his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, he said with respect to racial equality: “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Although he was referring to civil liberties, the […]

Inaugural Countdown: Treaties Pending U.S. Ratification

With the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama one week away, here is a brief look at 7 major treaties that the United States has not ratified. These treaties have been awaiting the advice and consent of the Senate. They cover topics such as human rights, biodiversity, the protection of victims in armed conflicts, the […]

First Place – California State Bar, International Law Writing Competition

My article, “The Legal Implications of Nearshore Outsourcing to Mexico,” won first place in the International Law Section of the California State Bar Second Annual Law Student Writing Competition! The article is intended for practitioners in international commercial and trade law and cross-border data transfers. The article examines the potential legal advantages and pitfalls of […]

Tech Law: Comparing U.S. and EU Laws in the Digital Age

The second edition of the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology 2008-2009 features two articles comparing U.S. and EU laws. My article on wireless broadband devices explores the impacts on U.S. consumers of recent FCC regulatory actions and compares consumer protections in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. The second article by William […]

What is international law?

This post is part of a series of background material on international law and answers frequently asked questions about what constitutes international law and sources of international law.

International Law Glossary and Terms

This collection provides some commonly used words encountered in international law and used within this website. Complete definitions and latin translations can be found through the comprehensive reference resources listed to the left.