The Spring of 2024 has been a dynamic time for our International and Comparative Law program. We have served as an important convener on timely discussions regarding democracy and human rights; ongoing armed conflicts; climate change; international trade; women’s rights challenges; and immigration law. Our faculty, staff, students, and alums are greatly influencing the path of international law and advocating for its use as an important tool for the solution of modern problems. Through our educational work, we continue promoting peace, justice, human rights, and dignity for all. Our students are the present and future of international law. We need their vision, creativity, energy, and hope.
Rosa Celorio
Burnett Family Associate Dean of International and Comparative Legal Studies and Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy
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GW Law Contributions to International Law |
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GW Law Experts Participate in Climate Change Hearing Before Inter-American Court of Human Rights |
Several GW Law Experts were invited to present before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights at its hearing related to the request for an advisory opinion on climate change. The hearing took place in Bridgetown, Barbados between April 23-25, 2024. Dinah Shelton, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law Emeritus, briefed the Court on the content of the states’ human rights due diligence obligations in the context of the climate emergency. Dean Celorio presented with the Center on Justice & International Law (CEJIL) and urged the Court to consider the disproportionate impact of the climate emergency on vulnerable groups and to interpret the scope of the inter-American instruments considering their specific needs. Lea Main-Klingst, LLM alum of GW Law School, intervened with Client Earth on the scope of state obligations under international human rights law to address climate change and their practical implications.
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Professor Sean D. Murphy Argues Before the International Court of Justice |
In April, Professor Murphy appeared before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on behalf of Armenia, arguing in favor of jurisdiction in a case brought against Azerbaijan under the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In May, he returned to The Hague to appear on behalf of Ecuador before the ICJ, this time arguing that the Court lacked jurisdiction to issue provisional measures of protection in a case brought by Mexico concerning its Embassy in Quito.
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GW Law’s ICL Program Secures Three New Collaboration Agreements |
GW Law’s International and Comparative Law Program solidified three new collaboration agreements this spring. First, they have finalized a student exchange program with the University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway. This exchange agreement will allow each institution to nominate up to two students per semester to complete their coursework at the other institution. Second, they have finalized an exchange agreement with Queen Mary University of London (QMU) in London, England. This exchange agreement will allow one student from QMU to come to GW Law for a year and one student from GW Law to go to QMU each semester. Lastly, they have also finalized a collaboration agreement with the Judicial Council of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the Judicial Training Center of Justice of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. This agreement will allow collaboration in the organization of trainings, lectures, and seminars, the exchange of visiting scholars, among other activities.
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Alumni Join ICL Program as New Fellows |
The ICL Program is pleased to announce that two recent GW Law alumni have joined the team as fellows. Dorothy Andersen, JD ‘23, has joined the program as a Human Rights Fellow and Katrina Ramkissoon, JD ‘23, has also joined as a Fellow supporting the Legal Research and Writing Program for International LLM Students.
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Alberto Benitez, Professor of Clinical Law; Director, Immigration Clinic - On April 4th, Professor Benitez, along with Professor Vera, and an Immigration Clinic intern spoke on an Immigration Law panel organized by GW Dems, to approximately 20 undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in immigration law. On April 5, Professor Benitez, Professor Vera and Immigration Clinic alums, Solangel Gonzalez and Mir Sadra Nabavi, spoke on a panel organized by the Immigration Law Association (ILA) about careers in immigration law. In May, Professor Benitez was quoted in an article on border policy.
- Paul Schiff Berman, Walter S. Cox Professor of Law - Professor Berman recently published an article entitled Conflicts of Law and the Abortion War Between the States (with Roey Goldstein & Sophie Leff), 172 U. Pa. L. Rev.399 (2024).
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Karen Brown, Theodore Rinehart Professor of Business Law - Professor Brown was honored by the George Washington University on April 23, 2024 to commemorate her 25th year teaching at GW Law School.
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Leah Calabro, ICL Program Visiting Associate Professor and Fellow - In March 2024, Professor Calabro attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law’s Journal of Public Interest Law’s annual symposium entitled “A Void in International Law? Human Rights in Unrecognized or Partially Recognized States.” At this symposium, Professor Calabro moderated one of the panel discussions and also offered the keynote address entitled "Protecting Human Rights in a Turbulent World." In April, Professor Calabro presented her ongoing research on utilizing universal jurisdiction over the crime against humanity of persecution as a mechanism to protect human rights at the GW Law Fellows Workshop with Dean Rosa Celorio offering commentary.
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Rosa Celorio, Burnett Family Associate Dean of International and Comparative Legal Studies and Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy - During this period, Dean Celorio received several appointments at the American Society of International Law, including to its Executive Committee and as Executive Council Member-at-Large. She also presented at an event at the Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations in New York on March 19, 2024, on violence against women in digital spaces, organized by Equality Now, UNFPA, and the OAS. She also offered remarks in several events at the Organization of American States, including a session before the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CAJP) on gender parity in the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights on February 22, 2024, and a high-level discussion with OAS Member States on democracy, human rights, and women’s leadership on May 9, 2024.
- Robert J. Cottrol, Harold Paul Green Research Professor of Law - Professor Cottrol published the following book chapter: “Africans and Afro-Americans” in A Companion to Latin American Legal History M.C. Mirow and Victor Uribe-Uran, eds., (Leiden: Brill/ Nijhoff, 2024).
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Laura Dickinson, Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law - Professor Laura Dickinson's new book Big Data and Armed Conflict: Legal Issues Above and Below the Armed Conflict Threshold, was published by Oxford University Press this spring. Co-edited by Professor Dickinson and Ed Berg, it is part of a series of books sponsored by the Lieber Center for Law and Land Warfare at the U.S. Military Academy West Point. GW Law School convened a panel on the book on April 3, 2024, featuring chapter contributors Fionnuala Ni Aolain, former UN Special Rapporteur for Counterterrorism and current Regents Professor and Ribina Chair in Law, Public Policy and Society at University of Minnesota Law School, and Gary Corn, Program Director and Adjunct Professor, Technology, Law & Security at American University Washington College of Law and former Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Cyber Command. The American Society of International Law hosted a discussion of the book at the Annual Meeting on April 4, 2024, and the book was also featured in a keynote session at the Governance of Emerging Technologies conference at Arizona State University on May 17, 2024. In addition, Articles of War, the leading blog on international humanitarian law, featured Professor Dickinson's book in a symposium in January.
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Kiran Gore, Professorial Lecturer in Law - Professor Gore’s recently published book The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in Investor-State Disputes: History, Evolution, and Future, which she co-authored with Esmé Shirlow, was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the American Society of International Law, for “high technical craftsmanship and utility to practicing lawyers and scholars.” Professors Gore and Shirlow accepted the award at ASIL’s Annual Meeting in April 2024.
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Robin Juni, Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering - In April 2024, Professor Juni presented a virtual program on Communicating in Legal English to colleagues and students at the law school of Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. The program was developed as a result of two Summer 2022 workshops in which Professor Juni participated, sponsored by the Global Legal Skills Conference Committee and the USAID Justice for All Program. The workshops focused on ways to help Ukrainian law schools through collaboration and networking, and Professor Juni has delivered Legal English and Environmental Law programs to Ukrainian law schools several times since Summer 2022.
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Sean D. Murphy, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law - In March, Professor Sean D. Murphy spoke to delegates of the U.N. General Assembly on “Understanding the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity,” at an event hosted by the Permanent Missions of Australia, Romania, and Singapore to the United Nations. Later that month, he spoke on “Treaty Law Techniques and Concepts” at a workshop on The Geneva Conventions at 75 convened at Harvard Law School in association with the ICRC and the West Point Lieber Institute, Boston. At the April annual meeting of the American Society of International Law, Professor Murphy spoke on a panel concerning “The Authority of Scholarship” in international law. Later that month, Professor Murphy participated as the presiding arbitrator for a Court of Arbitration in a site visit to a dam in territory administered by Pakistan in a case between Pakistan and India under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. Professor Murphy published two new publications: Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks: Compatibility Requirement and Scope of Rights of High Seas Fishing Nations, in Persistent And Emerging Challenges In International Fisheries Law (Tomas Heidar, Bjørn Kunoy & Constantinos Yiallourides, eds.) (Routledge) (2024); and “Assessing the DoD Law of War Manual’s Approach to Treaties and Customary International Law,” Just Security (Jan. 10, 2024).
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Dinah Shelton, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law Emeritus - Professor Emeritus Dinah Shelton received the International Human Rights Section Nelson Mandela Award at the 2024 American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting. The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of human rights. A distinguished scholar and advocate, Shelton's lifetime of work has significantly advanced the discourse on human rights globally. Her extensive contributions to international law, particularly in areas such as environmental rights and indigenous peoples' rights, exemplify a commitment to justice and equality. The Nelson Mandela Award is a fitting tribute to her tireless efforts.
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Paulina Vera, Professorial Lecturer in Law - In January 2024, Professor Vera began her term as the President of the Hispanic Bar Association. On March 16, 2024, Professor Vera spoke on a panel about immigration law and careers in immigration at the Albany Law School as part of the National Latina/o Law Students Association (NLLSA) 27th Annual Conference. On March 21, Professor Vera spoke on a panel during the Hispanic National Bar Association's Corporate Counsel Conference, specifically about the implications for immigration law in light of the 2024 elections. On April 15, Professor Vera spoke on a panel organized by the Dominican Bar Association titled "Latina Lawyers in the United States: Celebrating the 2%" about advice for Latina lawyers and law students, as well as challenges that Latina lawyers face. On April 27, Professor Vera spoke on a panel about Refugee and Migrant Health, which was part of the GW GlobeMed Conference hosted by the undergraduate institution.
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Student, Alumni, and Visiting Scholar Spotlights |
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SJD Students Successfully Defend Dissertations - On Friday, March 22, 2024, SJD student Andronikos Stylianou successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Sink or Swim: Overcoming Impediments to the Republic of Cyprus’ Exploitation of Maritime Rights Arising from Outstanding Sovereignty Issues.” Professor Sean D. Murphy chaired his defense committee which Dean Rosa Celorio and Professor James Benoit also sat on. On Friday, April 5, 2024, SJD student Omar Abu-Alreesh successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Navigating Legal Pluralism in the United Arab Emirates: Assessing the Role of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts through Paul Schiff Berman’s Cosmopolitan Pluralism.” His defense committee was led by Professor Paul Schiff Berman along with Judge Charles N. Brower and Professor William S. Dodge.
- GW Law Hosts Visiting Scholar Lecture with Marcu Florea - On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the ICL Program hosted a lecture given by Visiting Scholar Marcu Florea (PhD student, University of Groningen), entitled “Dynamic Consent for Processing Personal Data for Biomedical Research: With Focus on EU Law.”
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LLM Student Sylvie Bissaloue Serves as Student Ambassador at ABILA International Law Weekend - The American Branch of the International Law Association hosted its International Law Weekend in October 2023 and LLM Student Sylvie Bissaloue was selected to serve as a student ambassador.
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LLM Student Sandy Torrez Chavez Served as Immigration Fellow at the Democratic U.S. House Judiciary Committee - Sandy Torrez Chavez was selected to serve as the Immigration Fellow at the Democratic U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity during the Spring 2024 semester.
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Immigration Clinic Successes - Students in the immigration Clinic, under the supervision of Professors Paulina Vera and Alberto Benitez, were successful in achieving grants for asylum for two families during the spring 2024 semester. The students who worked on these cases over the years included: Jasmine Elmasry, Sanaa Khan, Olivia Russo, Alex Chen, Mark Rook, Ella Tamami, Cristiana Barno, Julia Addison, Gisela Kusakawa, Lea Aoun, Kennady Peek, Julia Yang, Ella Tamami, Charlie Lautenbach, Cornelia Waugh, and Cristiana Barno. The clinic was also featured in GW Today and on April 5, Professor Benitez, Professor Vera and Immigration Clinic alums, Solangel Gonzalez and Mir Sadra Nabavi, spoke on a panel organized by the Immigration Law Association (ILA) about careers in immigration law.
- LLM Alum Sushant Mahajan Published in Journal of Dispute Resolution - Sushant Mahajan, LLM ‘23, had his article entitled “Strategies For Successful Negotiation of International Disputes: Positional Bargaining Vs. Principled Negotiation In The Indus Water Treaty Negotiations” published in Issue 1 of Volume 2024 of the Journal of Dispute Resolution.
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2024 Jessup Team Ties for 9th Best Memorial - This year’s Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team, James Van Drie, Angela Gasca, Alexander Goodrich, and Payal Majmundar, coached by Visiting Associate Professor and Fellow Leah Calabro (with special assistance from Professor Trent Buatte), tied for 9th Best Memorial at the 2024 U.S. East Regional in February in New Orleans, LA.
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GW Law's Civil and Human Rights Clinic Co-Authors Report on Tech and Armed Conflict - Professor Arturo Carrillo's Civil and Human Rights Clinic co-authored a report with Global Network Initiative (GNI), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on the responsibility of tech companies during situations of armed conflict.
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GW Law Hosts Spring 2024 Brand-Manatt Lecture |
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the ICL Program hosted its Spring 2024 Brand-Manatt Lecture given by Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America. The lecture was entitled "Politics for People and Plant: A New Paradigm.” For this installment, remarks were given by Dean of GW
Law Dayna Bowen Matthew and Professor Sean D. Murphy.
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GW Law Revives Potomac Foreign Relations Roundtable |
Spearheaded by GW Law professors Sean D. Murphy, Edward Swaine, Laura Dickinson, and Bill Dodge, this was the first time this workshop was held since the Covid-19 Pandemic. Professors and practitioners gathered to discuss works in progress by Professor Duncan Hollis from Temple University Law School, Professor Marty Lederman from Georgetown Law School, Professor Mark Klamberg visiting at American University Washington College of Law, and Professor Weijia Rao from George Mason University Law School.
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GW Law Hosts Lecture on Climate Change and International Law |
On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the ICL Program hosted a lecture given by Professor Payam Akhavan entitled “Small Island States, Climate Change, and International Law: A Brief History of the ITLOS and ICJ Advisory Opinions.” Professor Akhavan is the Human Rights Chair at Massey College, University of Toronto and is Counsel to the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law.
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GW Law Hosts ILC Member for Lecture on Democracy and Authoritarianism |
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the ICL Program hosted a lecture given by Rolf Einar Fife, who serves as Special Adviser to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a Member of the UN International Law Commission, entitled “Democracy, Authoritarianism, and the International Legal System.”
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GW Law Hosts Event to Mark Two Year Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine |
On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the ICL Program hosted an event organized by student Vitalina Buchatska, LLM ‘24, entitled “Two Years of Russia's Full-Scale Military Invasion of Ukraine: Exploring Paths to Peace and Justice.” This event focused the discussion on how continued Western support for Ukraine, creative diplomacy, and legal tools might help end the war, build an enduring peace, and secure justice through post-war mechanisms. Ambassador William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, offered the keynote, which was moderated by Associate Dean Rosa Celorio. This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Professor Sean D. Murphy with Marney Cheek, Covington & Burling LLP, Ena Dion, U.S. Institute of Peace, and Yuri Parkhomenko, Foley Hoag LLP, serving as the panelists.
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Women, Law, and Development Discussion/Reception: Africa in Focus in Commemoration of International Women’s Month |
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in partnership with the World Bank Group’s Women for Development Alliance and the Embassies of the African Union, Spain, and Denmark, and other collaborators from the region, the ICL Program held a discussion surrounding women, law, and development in Africa to celebrate women’s rights progress marked across the continent. Discussants along with Dean Celorio, Ambassadors Hilda Suka-Mfaduze, Mathilde Mukantabana, and Ángeles Moreno Bau highlighted the actions taking place at the global, regional and African countries’ level to further women’s rights.
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GW Law Hosts Book Talk on Terrorism in France |
On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the ICL Program hosted GW Law alum Alexandre Rodde, LLM ‘15, to give a lecture entitled “Terrorism in France: Explaining the Threat,” which was based on his newly published book entitled “Le Jihad en France.” The book talk was moderated by Professor Karen Brown.
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GW Law Hosts Book Talk with Professor César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández |
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Hybrid Event on National Security and Human Rights with the ABA |
On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the ICL Program co-hosted the hybrid panel discussion “Balancing Act: Navigating National Security and Human Rights Across Jurisdictions” with the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, Center for Human Rights, and International Law Section. Dean Rosa Celorio moderated the event and was joined by Michael Davis, author of Freedom Undone and Global Fellow at Wilson Center; Eric Lai, Research Fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law; Adriana Edmeades Jones, Professor at the University of Minnesota Law; Lana Baydas, Program Director at American Bar Association Center for Human Rights; and Faiza Patel, Senior Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
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Symposium between the OAS and GW Law School on Democracy and Human Rights |
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the ICL Program co-hosted the symposium “Democratic Governance and Human Rights Challenges: Equality, Non-Discrimination, and the Environment” with the Organization of American States. Ambassador Francisco Mora, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, moderated the symposium along with Dean Rosa Celorio. Special guest speakers included Javier Palummo Lantes, Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; Dinah Shelton, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law Emeritus at GW Law; Liliana Ávila, Coordinator of the Human Rights and Environment Program of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense; and Joaquín Vallejo, Deputy Director of Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights at the Pan American Development Foundation.
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GW Law to Host State Department Meeting on Public International Law
May 31, 2024
The ICL Program will host the US State Department Advisory Committee Meeting on Public International Law.
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