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Welcome to the Harris World Law Institute News web site. Please check this page for developments that may be of particular interest to you. For questions or comments about Washington University School of Law News, contact Ann Nicholson, 314-935-6430 or anicholson@wustl.edu. 

Prof. Sadat Appointed ICC Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity

Professor Leila Nadya Sadat added another international honor to her résumé recently when she was appointed Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity by Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC). [more]      

Ambassador Susman Makes Case for a Strong Rule of Law During Harris Institute Lecture

Ambassador Louis Susman, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Susman kicked off the first lecture of the 2012-13 Harris Institute Speaker Series with a compelling address on “The Enduring Value of the Rule of Law.” [more]

Fall 2012 Harris Institute e-Newsletter focuses on international criminal law

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute is pleased to announce the release of its fall 2012 e-newsletter. This issue focuses on the Institute's work in international criminal law, including the election of Fatou Bensouda to Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the Inaugural Benjamin B. Ferencz Essay Competition, and the Institute’s Crimes Against Humanity Initiative as it broadens its reach. [read e-newsletter]

Sadat Named to Prestigious Council on Foreign Relations

Leila Nadya Sadat—the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute who recently served as the Alexis de Tocqueville Distinguished Fulbright Chair  at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in Paris—was recently invited to become a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). An independent, nonpartisan membership organization, the CFR also includes a think tank, the David Rockefeller Studies Program. Composed of more than seventy full-time and adjunct fellows, the program covers the major regions and significant issues shaping today's international agenda.  [more]

Inaugural Ferencz essay contest focuses on crimes against humanity

Individuals interested in addressing the relationship between crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression are invited to participate in the inaugural Benjamin B. Ferencz Essay Competition hosted by the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law.  Contestants are encouraged to register for the competition at the competition’s website  as soon as possible.  First prize is $10,000 plus publication in the symposium issue of the Washington University Global Studies Law Review. Two runners up will receive $2,500 each plus a plaque. The deadline for submission of entries is August 31, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. (Central Daylight Time). [more]

President Barack Obama announces a new Atrocities Prevention Board 

President Barack Obama recently announced the establishment of an Atrocities Prevention Board as part of his comprehensive strategy to prevent genocide and mass atrocities. The board is made up of senior officials from throughout the federal government, including the U.S. Departments of State and Defense as well as the federal agency USAID, and will convene once a month to create and implement policies to prevent atrocities and respond urgently to situations as they arise. “This bold move by the president sends a clear message that the United States is committed to preventing and responding to atrocities as a moral stance.” [more] 

Immigration and Family Reunification Conference Examines ‘One of the Most Pressing Issues of Our Time’

The conference was co-sponsored by the law school’s Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work & Social Capital, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, and Immigration Law Society. Stephen Legomsky spoke at the first session on family immigration policies in Europe. Also presenting was Liav Orgad, assistant professor, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya who addressed policies in Israel. Associate Dean Laura Rosenbury welcomed conference participants, and Leila N. Sadat, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and Harris Institute director, gave the introduction and moderated the first panel. [more]

Harris Institute Convenes Faculty Colloquium on International Law and Theory

Twenty scholars of international law from across the United States and around the world recently gathered for the 2011 Faculty Colloquium on International Law and Theory. Hosted by the law school’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, the two-day colloquium included papers on a wide variety of important international legal issues, including climate change, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, the use of force, state immunities, and the United Nations Security Council. [more]

Sadat Reports in Blog from ICC’s Assembly of States Parties Session in New York City

Here in New York City at the 10th Session of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, it is remarkable how much and how little has changed since I first started attending meetings relating to the International Criminal Court and its establishment since 1995. [View Release]

Sadat Wins Book of the Year Award from International Association of Penal Law

Professor Leila Nadya Sadat’s edited book, Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity, has received the 2011 Book of the Year Award from the American National Section of L’Association Internationale de Droit Pénal (AIDP). [more]

Deputy Prosecutor Bensouda Receives World Peace Through Law Award, Lectures on Role of ICC

With 118 State Parties, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an important legal institution to prosecute criminals and prevent massive violence worldwide. Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda recently discussed the scope of the Court and its increasing global prominence. Her lecture was sponsored by the law school’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute and co-sponsored by the Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series.  [more]

Fifth Annual International Humanitarian Law Dialogs

Crimes against humanity in modern international criminal law will be the focus of the fifth annual International Humanitarian Law Dialogs, August 28-30, held at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The event presents a unique opportunity for past and present international prosecutors, leading international law experts, and the general public to discuss the scourge of crimes against humanity and the role of modern international criminal law in preventing and punishing their commission. The sessions are free and open to the public. [more]

ICC Legal Tools Database Now a Leading Resource for Legal Information on Core International Crimes

With more than 26,000 hits and 1,400 unique visitors per month, the ICC Legal Tools Database has become the leading resource for legal information on core international crimes. The Database – available as a free public good at www.legal-tools.org – now contains 48,082 legal documents on core international crimes. [more]

Sadat Offers Expert Commentary on Violence in Syria, Libya Underscoring Need for Crimes Against Humanity Convention

The violence against peaceful protesters in Libya and Syria drives home the need for an international convention for the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, says Leila Nadya Sadat, JD, international law expert and director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law. [more]

2011 Dagen-Legomsky Fellows

The Harris Institute has announced its 2011 Dagen-Legomsky Fellows. The fellowships are awarded each year to outstanding first- and second-year law students interested in summer work in the fields of international or comparative law. [more]

A New Book About the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Released in May 2011

Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity, edited by Leila Nadya Sadat.  Crimes against humanity were one of the three categories of crimes elaborated in the Nuremberg Charter. However, unlike genocide and war crimes, they were never set out in a comprehensive international convention. This book represents an effort to complete the Nuremberg legacy by filling this gap. [more]

Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Releases Final Text of Proposed International Treaty

Initiative to focus on gaining international support
The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative at the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute of Washington University School of Law recently released the text of a proposed multilateral treaty on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. [view in English] [view in French]

Memorial Service Held for Whitney R. Harris on May 23, 2010

A memorial service was held for Whitney R. Harris, the namesake of the law school’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, who passed away on April 21, 2010.  [more]

Memorial Service Being Planned for Whitney R. Harris, Nazi War Prosecutor, Institute Namesake

A memorial service is being planned for Whitney R. Harris, the namesake of the law school’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, who passed away on April 21, 2010. He was 97. Mr. Harris was the last surviving prosecutor during the trial of the principal Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg. A great friend of the law school, he was a firm supporter of efforts to promote the rule of law.  [more]

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