The Fall of 2024 has been a challenging time for international law. War looms large, human rights violations are widespread, and there are deep concerns over democratic backsliding. Our community has been active in responding and reflecting on how to best address these complex issues. We have also welcomed many new students who are deeply involved in international law issues and who are committed to using the law to improve the lives of many. We will continue using our convening role to gather many critical entities, experts, and new voices in finding solutions to current problems with creativity and persistence. These are transformative times, in which hope is required. I thank you for your continued collaboration and engagement with our program. I send you my best wishes for the end of the year, with the hope that 2025 brings peace, human rights, dignity, and wellness to many.
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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Professor Sean Murphy Appointed to ICSID and Leadership with Crimes Against Humanity Treaty |
In July 2024, Professor Sean Murphy was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
In November 2024, the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution, to be voted on for approval by the UNGA as a whole later in December, that launches diplomatic negotiations for a U.N. Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity. As the former Special Rapporteur for the International Law Commission (ILC) on this topic, Professor Murphy will be invited by the U.N. Secretary-General to attend the preparatory committee and diplomatic conference as a legal expert to the chair of the committee/conference.
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Professor William Dodge Filed Amicus Brief to First Circuit Court |
In October 2024, Professor Dodge and other professors filed an amicus brief with the First Circuit in Boniface v. Viliena arguing that the Torture Victim Protection Act is a valid exercise of Congress’s power under the Offenses Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The professors were represented by Dean Aram Gavoor and the students in the GW Administrative Law, Issues & Appeals Clinic.
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Dean Rosa Celorio on OAS Special Mission |
Associate Dean Rosa Celorio was proposed by the US government to serve as the US representative in an OAS Special Mission to observe the election of judges in Guatemala. The Special Mission was created under the auspices of the Organization of American States upon request of the President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo.
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GW Law at ASIL Midyear Meeting |
In November 2024, GW Law was well represented at the American Society of International Law’s (ASIL) Midyear Meeting. Associate Dean Rosa Celorio was selected to serve as co-chair of the Research Forum. Professor Edward Swaine moderated a panel on Foreign Relations Law and also served on the ASIL committee that decided the David Caron Prize, which is awarded to the best paper presented at the Midyear Meeting by a current student or recent graduate. Professor Leah Calabro and Özge Karsu, who is currently pursuing her LLM at GW Law in International and Comparative Law, both presented papers as part of the Research Forum.
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Fall 2024 Brand-Manatt Lecture with Mélida Hodgson |
The International and Comparative Law Program hosted the Fall 2024 Brand-Manatt Lecture on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew and Professor Sean D. Murphy welcomed Mélida Hodgson, President of the American Society of International Law and Partner at Arnold & Porter, to the law school as the keynote speaker. Her presentation was entitled “The Gymnasts, the Governors, and the Future of International Arbitration in Settling International Disputes.” More can be found here.
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GW Law Co-Sponsors and Hosts One-Day Symposium on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Safety in the Midst of World Challenges |
On Thursday, October 24, 2024, the ICL and National Security Programs, as well as the GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future, co-hosted a symposium with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, gave the keynote lecture entitled “In a World Full of Problems, Nuclear Must Be Part of the Solution.” Ionut Suseanu and Anthony Wetherall from the IAEA Office of the Legal Adviser offered guest lectures, followed by two panels moderated by Professors Sean Murphy and Emily Hammond with Ariel Braunstein, General Attorney at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); David Jonas, former General Counsel at the NNSA; David Koplaw, Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center; Stephen G. Burns, former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Ben Mcrae, Department of Energy Assistant General Counsel serving as panelists. This conference was spearheaded by Professor Laura Dickinson, Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law.
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Leah Calabro, ICL Program Visiting Associate Professor and Fellow - In June 2024, Professor Calabro attended the Global Legal Skills conference in Bari, Italy and presented on a panel with Professors Erika Pont and Cori Alonso-Yoder discussing GW Law’s Inns of Court professional development program and its newly established Inn for LLM students. On November 15, 2024, Professor Calabro presented at the American Society of International Law’s Midyear Meeting on her article entitled “Universal Jurisdiction Over the Crime of Persecution as a Pathway to Human Rights Protections” as part of the Meeting’s Research Forum. Professor Calabro published her article, A Decade of Impunity: Finding Justice for the Yazidi Women Victims of the Islamic State, in the Fordham International Law Journal: Vol. 48: Issue 1 (2024).
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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 continued serving in the Executive Committee and Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). She was also selected to serve as Co-Chair for the ASIL Midyear Meeting Research Forum between November 15-16, 2024. Dean Celorio was also proposed by the US government to serve as the US representative in an OAS Special Mission to supervise the selection of judges in Guatemala. Dean Celorio also published The New Gender Perspective: The Dawn of Intersectional Autonomy in Women’s Rights, in the Chicago Journal of International Law: Vol. 25: No. 1, Article 2 (2024).
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William S. Dodge, Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence On October 16, 2024, Professor Dodge and other professors filed an amicus brief with the First Circuit in Boniface v. Viliena arguing that the Torture Victim Protection Act is a valid exercise of Congress’s power under the Offenses Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The professors were represented by Dean Aram Gavoor and the students in the GW Administrative Law, Issues & Appeals Clinic. On November 6, 2024, Professor Dodge presented a paper, “Why Terrorism Exceptions to State Immunity Do Not Violate Customary International Law,” to a workshop at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. On November 8, 2024, Professor Dodge spoke to the Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School. On November 15, 2024, Professor Dodge participated in a panel, “Taking Stock of the Economic Tools of National Security,” at the ABA’s Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law in Washington, D.C., addressing developments in U.S. export controls with particular reference to China.
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Sean D. Murphy, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law - In May 2024, a panel of arbitrators presided over by Professor Sean D. Murphy issued its final award in Canepa Green Energy Opportunities I and II v. Spain, a case that concerned two Luxembourg companies that had invested in Spain’s renewable energy sector. In July 2024, Professor Murphy was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In October 2024, Professor Murphy’s 2023 book (with Professor Edward T. Swaine) entitled The Law of U.S. Foreign Relations was awarded the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) Practitioners Book Award. In addition to receiving the award at the ABILA’s annual conference, Professor Murphy spoke on the opening plenary panel for the conference on the topic of recent developments at the International Court of Justice. That same month, Professor Murphy also moderated a panel at the Law School on “The International Framework for IAEA Safeguards and Nonproliferation.” Professor Murphy also has two new publications: Sean D. Murphy, Principles Of International Law (4th ed. 2024) (West Academic); Sean D. Murphy, “Presidential Power to Exit Treaties: Reflecting on the Mirror Principle,” Just Security (Nov. 1 2024) (with Edward T. Swaine)
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Professors Murphy and Swaine Receive Book Award - In October 2024, Professors Sean Murphy and Edward Swaine’s 2023 book entitled The Law of U.S. Foreign Relations was awarded the American Branch of the International Law Practitioners Book Award.
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LLM Student Joaquin Gadea Frances Awarded Medal by National Police in Spain - In November 2024, Joaquin Gadea Frances, who is currently pursuing his LLM at GW Law in International and Comparative Law, was awarded a medal for police merit by the National Police in Spain for his contributions to the fight against terrorism and organized crime. The proposal was made by the International Cooperation Unit of the Police whom he has collaborated with in the past few years.
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Student, Alumni, and Visiting Scholar Highlights |
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Students Conduct Research for Human Rights Institutions - Human Rights Foundation selected four of GW Law’s students to serve as Legal and Policy interns on their Tyranny Tracker Project: Tanya Agarwal (ICL LLM), Joaquin Gadea Frances (ICL LLM), Lisa-Carolin Peterson (BFL LLM), and Enya Stephan (ICL LLM). Under the supervision of leadership at HRF and Professor Leah Calabro, these students completed extensive research and delivered final reports on two different countries using a unique methodology consisting of indicators covering issues of electoral competition, freedom of dissent, and judicial independence. Dorothy Andersen, ICL Program Human Rights Fellow, managed a student research project for Equality Now with three GW Law students: Sofia Brunner (ICL LLM), Madeleine Doerr (3L), and Ashlyn Nazari (2L). The students wrote research memos on regional human rights systems and their work concerning Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (“SLAPP”) lawsuits filed against survivors of sexual violence.
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JD Alum and Human Rights Fellow Dorothy Andersen Presents on Climate Change Panel - On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Dorothy Andersen, JD ‘23, spoke on a panel hosted by Equality Now on the overview of the specific responsibilities and due diligence obligations of governments to prevent and address violence against women during emergency disasters and throughout the recovery and adaptation phases. The panel also discussed how governments can ensure that their policies and actions effectively uphold these responsibilities and mitigate gender-based violence, particularly in the context of climate-related emergencies.
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Students Attend Washington Foreign Law Society Gala - On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Washington Foreign Law Society hosted their annual gala to honor Senator Ben Cardin’s reception of the Harry LeRoy Jones Award for his stewardship of U.S. foreign policy as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Helsinki Commission. The GW Law students who attended were Ashlyn Nazari, Zakariya Kmir, Muskaan Paudel, and Min Lee. They attended with Human Rights Fellow Dorothy Andersen.
- LLM Alum Sandy Torrez Chavez Publishes Article on Gender Quotas - Sandy Torrez Chavez, ICL LLM ‘23, published her article entitled “For Women to Have Real Power, We Need Quotas” in Ms. Magazine. The full article can be accessed here.
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Students Attend Inter-American Commission of Human Rights Hearing - On Monday, November 11, 2024, a group of ICL Program JD and LLM students attended a public hearing entitled "Current status of sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities" at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Human rights advocacy groups and representatives from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities discussed issues related to the sexual and reproductive rights of persons with disabilities in the Americas.
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GW Law Hosts Panel on Democratic Backsliding Concerns in the Year of Elections |
On Thursday, September 19, 2024, Professor Leah Calabro organized and moderated a panel discussion entitled “Democratic Backsliding Concerns in the Year of Elections.” The guest panelists were Andrew Boyle, Senior Counsel at the States United Democracy Center; Annika Silva-Leander, Head of North America and Permanent Observer of International IDEA to the United Nations; and David Levine, Election Integrity and Management Consultant.
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GW Law Hosts First Installment of New Careers in International Law Brown Bag Lunch Series |
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Professor Leah Calabro moderated the first installment of the International Law Careers Brown Bag Lunch Series with D. Wes Rist, Atrocity Prevention Policy Advisor in the Bureau of Conflict & Stabilization Operations at the US Department of State. Mr. Rist discussed his experience in the State Department and offered advice to students interested in pursuing legal careers in the government.
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GW Law Hosts Fall 2024 Installment of Women in International Law Speaker Series |
On Thursday, October 17, 2024, Dean Rosa Celorio moderated an installment of the Women in International Law Speaker Series with Professor Alma Luz Beltrán y Puga from La Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Professor Beltrán y Puga discussed her recent publication entitled “Building Bridges: Contemporary Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and International Human Rights Law,” which she co-edited with Dean Celorio.
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GW Law Hosts Delegation from La Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires |
On Tuesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 31, 2024, Professors Angel Piazza and Santiago Deluca from La Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina participated in two brown bag lunch discussions moderated by GW Law Professor Robert Cottrol. Professor Piazza discussed the rights of persons with disabilities, and Professor Deluca discussed MERCOSUR integration law.
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GW Law Hosts Book Talk with Professor Bradley Curtis |
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Professor Sean D. Murphy moderated a discussion with Professor Curtis Bradley from the University of Chicago Law School. Professor Bradley discussed his new book entitled “Historical Gloss and Foreign Affairs” and explored the distribution of foreign affairs authority between Congress and the President.
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GW-Oxford Human Rights Law Program Info Session
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the ICL Program will host an information session on the GW-Oxford Human Rights Summer School Program.
GW Law to Host State Department Meeting on Public International Law
On Friday, January 17, 2025, the ICL Program will host the US State Department Advisory Committee Meeting on Public International Law.
ICL Program January Welcome Reception
The International and Comparative Law Program will host a Welcome Reception on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
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Stay connected with us on social media. Check our events page for more news and updates.
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