Last week the Supreme Court heard oral argument regarding Mr. Trump’s claims of complete immunity from criminal prosecution for crimes he committed while serving as the President. 

In a new Op-Ed, professor Kalir criticized the Supreme Court’s approach to this issue as revealed by several Justices. The short piece argues that our historical founding documents – both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself – leaves very little room to argue that the President may violate the law with impunity. In fact, the opposite is true; as then-Judge Jackson noted, our history demonstrates that Presidents are not kings. 

But perhaps more important than any legal line-drawing, Professor Kalir warns that democracy itself may be hanging in the balance. A reversal – technical as it may be – of the opinion below may be convincingly painted by the Trump campaign as “complete exoneration by the Supreme Court.” That, coupled with the fact that the opinion is likely to be issued very close to the election, may tip the scale in favor of a new authoritarian regime. Such result should be prevented at all costs by the Court.  

On May 1, Professor Milena Sterio took part in a Capitol Hill conference centered on the theme of “US Strategic Imperative: Advancing a Just Resolution in Syria.” Within this forum, Professor Sterio contributed to a session focusing specifically on accountability. During her presentation, she outlined the various accountability mechanisms that exist at the international, regional, and national levels to bring Syrian perpetrators of atrocities to justice. Noteworthy attendees at the conference included Senator Shaheen (D- New Hampshire), Representative Wilson (R- South Carolina), Senator Reed (D- Rhode Island), Senator Braun (R- Indiana), and Representative Wild (D- Pennsylvania).

Photo: Professor Sterio with Professor Paul Williams, American University Washington College of Law (conference moderator)

On May 3rd, Professor Milena Sterio participated in the Centre for the Study of United Nations – O.P. Jindal Global University conference on “Confronting Global Conflicts and the Rule of Law: A Focus on Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. Professor Sterio’s panel was on the specific topic of “Focus on Actions and Challenges in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas Conflicts, and Discussion on Proposed Reforms.”

Professor Milena Sterio participated in a conference titled “Re-Imagining Transitional Justice in Ukraine” at Northwestern Law School on April 12. The focus of Professor Sterio’s panel was specifically on addressing the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence in Ukraine

On April 24th, Professor Milena Sterio took part in a training session for various members of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various government departments. The focus of the training was on mediation and negotiation of peace agreements. Professor Sterio’s role extends to providing expert guidance to the Kenyan government in establishing a mediation and negotiation unit, a project supported by funding from the U.S. Department of State

Legal Educator in Residence Howard E. Katz was an invited participant in a workshop hosted by the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership at the St. Thomas University School of Law in Minneapolis on April 19th and 20th. The workshop focused on “Professional Identity Formation in the Professional Responsibility Course.”

During the event, Prof. Katz engaged in plenary and breakout sessions, contributing insights and brainstorming strategies aimed at integrating professional identity formation into Professional Responsibility casebooks and courses.

In a recent Akron Beacon Journal article, Professor Milena Sterio was quoted discussing Eric T. Nshimiye, a resident of Lake Township, who was accused of committing murder and sexual assaults during the Rwanda genocide nearly three decades ago.

In the article, Professor Sterio explains that U.S. federal prosecutors lack the authority to charge Nshimiye with genocide. This is due to the limitation within U.S. law, where the U.S. criminal justice system cannot prosecute cases involving the killing of non-U.S. citizens by other non-U.S. citizens outside of the United States. Further stating that a connection to the United States must exist for someone to face federal charges.

Full article available below:

Professor Brandon Stump has been invited by Emory University School of Medicine to speak at their annual Autism Celebration Month event. The organizers were impressed by his article on Superman and stare decisis, prompting them to reach out to him for participation. Set to take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, this year’s event will revolve around the theme of “Pathways and Passions.” What sets this event apart is its unique approach of bringing together three Autistic academics to discuss their individual research endeavors, which need not necessarily focus solely on Autism-related topics. This initiative aims to counter the common trend where disabled individuals are often pigeonholed into speaking solely about their disability, neglecting their other areas of expertise and interests.

In his upcoming presentation, Professor Stump will delve into his recent research examining the potential for establishing a labor union specifically tailored for drag queens participating in reality television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race. Despite recent successes achieved by SAG-AFTRA, reality show casts remain excluded from these organizing efforts. Thus far, the National Labor Relations Board has yet to address the question of whether contestants on reality shows are covered under the National Labor Relations Act. With a growing commitment among production companies to diversify reality show casts intentionally, the absence of labor protections poses a significant concern. This situation risks creating an unprotected and disadvantaged pathway for marginalized individuals working in reality television.

Click the link below to learn more about the event or access the virtual Zoom event directly: https://www.emoryautismadvocacy.org/acm/researchsymposium

On March 22, Professor Milena Sterio moderated a Roundtable on “Establishing a Single Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.” This discussion was part of the PILPG Thought Leadership Initiative. The Initiative focuses on prominent international law and international affairs topics and organizes monthly expert roundtables to share expertise and reflections from our work on peace negotiations, post-conflict constitution drafting, and war crimes prosecution.

The Roundtable focused on the feasibility of establishing a single consolidated residual mechanism for all or multiple international/hybrid tribunals. Experts shared their insights and discussed the feasibility of this idea, addressing the legal and practical issues associated with such consolidation.

Access the Roundtable recording here: https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/expert-roundtable-establishing-a-single-residual-mechanism

Legal Educator-in-Residence Howard E. Katz made a presentation on “Innovative Teaching Techniques” to the faculty at the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center on March 21st in Baton Rouge, as part of their Spring 2024 Faculty Speaker Series. Although well received and with a very nice turnout, it did not cause quite as much of a stir as the LSU women’s basketball team beginning their NCAA title defense the next day at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on campus.