Professor Milena Sterio hosted a delegation of judges from Moldova on October 21 at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.  The Moldovan judges visited Cleveland and the College of Law as participants in the Open World Program, organized and sponsored by the U.S. Library of Congress.  The program hosts delegations of judges from former Soviet states in the United States, in order to provide exposure to the U.S. legal system.

Professor Milena Sterio’s book chapter on “Power Politics and State Recognition” was published the “Routledge Handbook of State Recognition,” edited by Professor Gezim Visoka (Dublin City University, Ireland), Professor John Doyle (Dublin City University, Ireland), and Edward Newman (University of Leeds, United Kingdom).  This new handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical and empirical aspects of state recognition in international politics.  Professor Sterio’s chapter focused on the role of geo-politics in state recognition practices.

Clinical Professor Pamela Daiker-Middaugh led a faculty workshop at the 2019 Midwest Conference on Clinical Legal Education at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor on October 19th. The lively workshop, entitled “Making the Clinic a Welcome Place for Uniquely Vulnerable Clients,” aligned with the overall theme of the conference “Building Our Community: Fostering Collaboration within the Law School.”

Professor Milena Sterio wrote an Introductory Note to Georgia v. Russia (Just Satisfaction) (European Court of Human Rights 2019), which will be published in International Legal Materials, a periodic compilation of International law sources edited and published by the American Society of International Law.

Introductory Notes are brief reflections on a current case or other significant international law event, and they are written by experts in the field, by invitation only.  Professor Sterio’s Introductory Note focuses on the recent Georgia v. Russia case in the European Court of Human Rights, where the Court decided to award so-called “just satisfaction” damages to Georgia for various violations of international law committed by Russian forces prior to the 2008 Georgia-Russia war.  These damages, paid by Russia to Georgia, are to be distributed by Georgia to approximately 1,500 Georgian nationals, who were victims of violations committed by Russia.

Although the Court has awarded monetary damages to numerous individuals in the past, this line of cases, where damages are awarded in an interstate case and are to be distributed by the applicant state to its own nationals, is relatively new and represents a new direction for the Court.

On Tuesday, October 8, Professor David Forte presented in a Federalist Society Teleforum titled “October Term 2019-2020 ‘Long Conference.'”  The panelists discussed the “Long Conference,” which is when the Court considers all petitions for review filed over the summer recess.  The Long Conference is thus a source of a substantial portion of the cases the Court will hear in its upcoming term.  Other presenters included Professor John C. Eastman (Chapman University, Fowler School of Law) and attorney Mark Miller (Pacific Legal Foundation).

Professor Claire Robinson May co-presented with Professor Iva Johnson Ferrell (Delaware Law School, Widener University) at the Western Regional Legal Writing Conference at Santa Clara University School of Law. Their interactive presentation was entitled, “Our Field Has Grown Up and Our Students Can, Too: Helping Students Take Responsibility and Helping Yourself to a Better Work Life.” Professor May and Professor Ferrell’s session aligned with the overall conference theme: “The Whole Person: Helping Law Students Integrate Their Professional Identity with Their Existing Values.”