Legal Educator in Residence Howard E. Katz participated in an October 4 Zoom session hosted by the Section on New Law Professors of the AALS. During the session, he shared valuable insights and guidance pertaining to course design and the art of teaching.

Professor Matthew Green hosted a workshop for human resources professionals and small business owners operating within the Cleveland metropolitan region, focusing on compliance concerns related to workplace sexual harassment. During his presentation, Professor Green addressed the legal standards for identifying when workplace harassment becomes unlawful and discussed employers’ legal obligations in preventing and promptly addressing such misconduct. The seminar took place at the University Hospitals campus.

On October 23, Professor Milena Sterio delivered a lecture as part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Online Executive Diploma program on International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice. Her presentation focused on the topic of “International Criminal Law and Statehood.” This month-long course is designed for diplomats, policymakers, civil servants, and members of non-governmental organizations. Distinguished speakers in this program also included Judge Joanna Korner, who discussed International Criminal Law, Juan Mendez, the former UN Rapporteur on Torture, Yasmin Sooka, who serves as the Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, and Catherine Marchi-Uhel, who heads the UN Investigative International and Impartial Mechanism for Syria.

On October 20, Professor Milena Sterio presented at International Law Weekend, a prominent international law conference hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA). Professor Sterio participated as a panelist in a session titled “Charting the Course for the ICC’s Gender Persecution Policy.” This panel discussed the International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s recent policy concerning the prosecution of gender persecution as a criminal offense. Notably, Professor Sterio held the position of one of the three co-chairs for International Law Weekend and was additionally a member of ABILA’s board of directors.

Professor Milena Sterio traveled to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to collaborate with a group of Rohingya refugees in documenting human rights violations against the Rohingya community in Myanmar during 2016-17. These refugees reside in large camps in Bangladesh, enduring extremely challenging conditions. This was Professor Sterio’s third field mission to Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugee camps.

As part of the same trip, Professor Sterio also attended a transitional justice summit held in Bangkok, Thailand, where she discussed some of her findings from the Rohingya documentation project. The event, organized by the U.S. State Department, assembled several prominent NGOs and experts focused on similar transitional justice issues in Southeast Asia.

In a recent New York Times article, Professor Kevin O’Neill was quoted discussing a novel First Amendment theory that is currently gaining prominence in voting rights litigation. These legal actions allege that certain state governors when reinstating voting rights for convicted felons, make their decisions based on the inmate’s political beliefs. What’s novel about these lawsuits is their attempt to extend a line of legal precedent traditionally limited to cases involving speech licensing into the realm of voting rights.

To read the full article, click the link below: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/us/voting-rights-felons.html

Professor Christa Laser, recently shared her insights on the Ipse Dixit podcast about her paper, “Legal Issues in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and NFTs” which is set to be published in Nebraska Law Review. This article argues against the necessity of creating a distinct “Law of Blockchain” and instead emphasizes that existing legal frameworks can effectively address the complex legal issues arising in the blockchain and Web 3.0 space. It highlights the growing importance of applying established laws, such as securities regulations and intellectual property rights, to address the evolving challenges posed by emerging technologies like blockchain.

Listen to her podcast episode here:
https://shows.acast.com/ipse-dixit/episodes/christa-laser-of-the-law-of-the-blockchain

This paper is available for comment here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4591858

This week, Professor Mark Sundahl joined a panel discussion at the Ohio Aerospace Institute which was hosting the  2023 Great Lakes Aviation and Space Technology Symposium, held in partnership with AeroMontreal. Professor Sundahl outlined the contributions of the CSU Global Space Law Center, emphasizing its impact on the development of space law, spanning topics like commercial regulation and the prevention of orbital pollution and weaponization.
Professor Sundahl underscored the significance of professional and academic international collaboration, particularly in situations where formal cooperation between nations may face challenges — pointing to his recent positive experience working with an official at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Professor Milena Sterio participated as a panelist at the CWRU Law School Cox Center conference on September 29. The conference centered around the theme of “Climate Change and the Intersection with International Law.” Additionally, Professor Sterio is contributing a conference-related article, to be published in the Case Journal of International Law, on the topic of “The Crime of Ecocide under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Professor Sterio had dedicated several years to working on accountability and transitional Justice issues in Sudan. Most recently, Professor Milena Sterio participated in a training organized for Sudanese civilians on the topic of peace negotiations. The training took place on September 21, and it was organized by the Public International Law and Policy Group.