Professor Sterio Moderates Webinar, Podcast for International Law Association

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Professor Milena Sterio moderated a webinar on September 30, hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association’s Gender Justice in International Law Committee. The webinar featured a discussion with Professor Margaret Satterthwaite, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; and Ambassador Namira Negm, the first woman Legal Counsel of the African Union.

The panelists discussed the Rapporteur’s June 2026 report on Principles for judicial appointments. Professor Sterio moderated the webinar with Dr Jessica Corsi, City University London.

Professor Sterio also co-hosted an episode of the International Law Chats podcast published on October 4. The podcast, published monthly, is hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association, and it is co-hosted by Professor Sterio, Professor Chiara Giorgetti, and Alison McDonald, KC. This episode featured a conversation among the three co-hosts, titled “Meet the Hosts!” Professor Sterio and her co-hosts shared parts of their personal journeys toward international law, discussed their current work projects, and current challenges in international law.

Professor Sterio Presents in London, Copenhagen on International Law Topics

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Professor Milena Sterio presented at the London Conference on International Law on October 1, in London, United Kingdom, on a panel entitled “Challenges to Statehood: From Conflicts to Climate Change.” The London Conference is one of the most prestigious international law conferences globally; it is organized by the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, in partnership with law firms. Professor Sterio’s remarks focused on whether Palestine satisfies the international law criteria for statehood.

Professor Milena Sterio presented at the International Bar Association Annual Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 7 and October 8.

On October 7, she presented on the panel titled “The Global Legal Order: The Need for a Reboot.” Professor Sterio’s remarks focused on current challenges regarding use of force rules under international law, as well as on current threats against international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

On October 8, she presented on a panel entitled “AI in Conflict,” where her remarks focused on the need to lower the threshold for individual criminal responsibility under international criminal law in situations where autonomous weapons systems enabled by AI commit international crimes. Professor Sterio also attended the IBA Foundation board meeting where she serves as a trustee.

Navi Pillay, Interviewed by Professor Milena Sterio, Wins Nobel Peace Prize

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Navi Pillay – a South African jurist, former judge on the Rwanda Tribunal, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and currently judge at the International Court of Justice – has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Professor Milena Sterio, the Director of CSU Law’s International Law Center, interviewed Navi Pillay in 2024 in a webinar hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association. The webinar is available here.

According to the Nobel Prize Organization, “In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.”

CSU Law Leaders-in-Residence Share Lessons on “Leading Without a Title”

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Three P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Center Leaders-in-Residence (LIR) joined CSU Law students on September 23, 2026 to discuss what leadership looks like before you have a formal title. Judge Ronald B. Adrine, retired Cleveland Municipal Court Judge; Kim Bixenstine, retired Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of University Hospitals; and Carter Strang, retired founding partner of Tucker Ellis LLP shared advice drawn from decades of experience across law, business and public service.

Their message converged around four ideas. Find work that genuinely matters to you and do it well; responsibility follows. Develop a leadership style that is authentically yours, not a copy of someone else’s. Know not just when to take initiative, but how: “Nine times out of 10, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” Judge Adrine told students. And invest in relationships over titles. “Leadership, at the end of the day, is really all about relationships,” he said.

Each closed with a single piece of advice for students: act with integrity, become indispensable, and stay humble. As Judge Adrine put it: “There is no substitute for sound research.”

Hoffman Named Inaugural mPower Visionary Award Nominee

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Debbie Hoffman, Director of the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Center, has been named an inaugural nominee for the Mortgage Bankers Association’s mPower Visionary Awards, recognizing women making an impact in the mortgage banking industry.

As a nominee, Hoffman will attend the mPowering You Summit on October 10, 2026, in Chicago, held in conjunction with the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Annual Convention & Expo.

Hoffman helped bring the Mortgage Banking Bound program to Cleveland State University, working with the Mortgage Bankers Association, CSU’s Monte Ahuja College of Business, and mortgage industry leaders to launch the program in 2025. She continues to teach the course, which brings industry professionals directly into the classroom and introduces students to the business, legal, regulatory, and operational aspects of residential mortgage banking.

The program has continued to grow at CSU, including the development of a Mortgage Banking Certificate, and Hoffman is working with the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Monte Ahuja College of Business to explore expanding mortgage banking education at the graduate level.

While in Chicago, Hoffman will also meet with mortgage banking leaders to continue developing industry partnerships and opportunities for CSU students.

Howard Katz Presents on Teaching at Aspen Leading Edge Academy

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Legal Education-in-Residence Howard E. Katz made a presentation on Strategies and Techniques for Teaching at the inaugural Aspen Leading Edge Academy, where fifty professors participated in a one-day forum focused on advancing how law is taught and learned. The sessions were held at Boston University’s College of Law, and provided the attendees (who were nominated by the deans of the law schools in the New England area), with evidence-based teaching strategies and practice-ready approaches to improve learning outcomes and better prepare students for professional success. Professor Katz’s presentation focused on design principles to consider when planning courses and individual classes.

Debbie Hoffman Speaks on ABA International Cryptocurrency Panel

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Debbie Hoffman, Director of the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Center, served as a panelist for the American Bar Association International Law Section webinar, “Crypto Beyond the Grave: Passing Crypto Assets at Death,” on October 7, 2026. The program brought together legal professionals from the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany to examine the legal and practical challenges of transferring cryptocurrency at death.

Hoffman addressed U.S. estate planning considerations, including custody arrangements, access to wallets and private keys, and strategies to help fiduciaries and beneficiaries identify, secure, and transfer digital assets. The discussion also compared inheritance and tax treatment across jurisdictions and highlighted the importance of planning for both legal authority and practical access.

Professor Witmer-Rich Quoted on Cornell Rape Investigation

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On October 3, Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich was quoted in an article on Cleveland.com titled, “The Cornell 7 case highlights a loophole in New York’s rape laws. Ohio takes a different approach.” The article explains a key difference between New York law and Ohio law regarding rape and sexaul assault, related to the the Cornell University rape investigation.

Professor Witmer-Rich explained that under Ohio law, a person may be legally incapable of consenting to sexual activity if they are “substantially impaired.” While this standard is not very specific, he explained that a person’s “substantial impairment” can be proven by evidence about how well they were able to carry out basic functions, like walking and talking.

New York, in contrast, requires proof either that the defendant drugged the victim or that the victim was actually unconscious or unable to communicate. A victim’s “substantial impairment” due to voluntary intoxication is not a sufficient basis for a rape conviction under New York law. Professor Witmer-Rich explained that this feature of New York law would make it more difficult to obtain a conviction in the circumstances alleged in the Cornell case.

Professor Luisetto Presents at the 20th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (CELS)

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Professor Luisetto presented his paper, “Regulatory Failures Behind the Global Rise of Noncompetes,” at the 20th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (CELS), held at Northwestern Law in Chicago on October 2-3, 2026. He also served as an area organizer for the conference.

Using survey data from employers and employees across fifteen OECD countries, his paper finds that between 15% and 40% of workers are subject to noncompetes, many of which are unenforceable or unrelated to legitimate business interests, yet still shape workers job search behavior. The findings suggest that formal enforceability requirements alone are insufficient and that effective regulation requires complementary interventions to address the informational frictions that help explain the widespread misuse of noncompetes.

The full program of the conference may be found here: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/research-faculty/events/conferences/cels-2026/

CSU Law Students Supervised by Professor Sterio Support Accountability in The Gambia Through the Gambia Accountability Project

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CSU College of Law students, under the supervisions of CSU College of Law’s International Law Center Director and Professor Milena Sterio, are assisting prosecutors in The Gambia, at the Special Tribunal for the Gambia, with evidence gathering and other research (The Gambia Accountability Project). The Project student associates include Morgan Malone, Hailey Moran, Emma Prusha, Cael Shaw, Yulia Engman, Grace Hays, Alexander Munster, and Nura Latif.

The Special Tribunal for the Gambia is a hybrid regional court officially established on December 15, 2024, by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to prosecute gross human rights violations and international crimes committed during the 1994–2017 regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh. The Tribunal is a hybrid model of accountability, utilizing both Gambian and international judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. It covers crimes committed between 1994 and 2017, and its jurisdictional mandate covers international crimes such as murder, torture, rape, enforced disappearances.

CSU College of Law students will assist the Tribunal prosecutor with gathering so-called linkage evidence which would tie the former President Jammeh to the commission of these crimes. Students will in particular focus on creating a data base of public statements and other pronouncement by Jammeh, as well as of accompanying military decrees or other executive orders. This type of linkage evidence will assist the prosecutor in demonstrating Jammeh’s responsibility as political and/or military commander. The Gambia Accountability Project is the first of its kind at CSU; it is conducted under the auspices of the CSU College of Law International Law Center.