Santa Clara University

Law Briefs

Santa Clara Law Review Sponsors Symposium on International Law

A premier lineup of legal scholars and practitioners from around the world gathered on Jan. 28 at the Santa Clara Law Review’s Symposium 2005, entitled “International Law in the United States Legal System: Observance, Application & Enforcement.” The event was held at the Hotel Valencia in San Jose.

The Honorable Rosalyn Higgins, of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, delivered the keynote address. Her speech considered the perspectives from an international bench on the application and enforcement of international law in domestic legal systems. Judge Higgins became the first woman elected to the ICJ in 1995 and subsequently was named Dame Commander of the British Empire.

Other symposium participants included Bertrand Ramcharan, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Louis Henkin, Columbia University law professor, and chief reporter for the Restatement on United States Foreign Relations Law; and other internationally distinguished scholars and practitioners.

The symposium explored a variety of questions on international law, including the limits and constraints of the U.S. legal system in applying international law; the observance and enforcement of international institutions’ decisions in the U.S. legal system; the application of international human rights law in light of the Supreme Court’s 2003 decisions; and, a discussion on international law’s moving forward.

Board members of The Santa Clara Law Review are responsible for organizing the annual symposium. Each year the symposium addresses a legal issue of significant importance. The Santa Clara Law Review is a legal periodical edited and published by Santa Clara University law students. The Santa Clara Law Review is committed to publishing four high- quality issues annually, creating a valuable source of legal information for students, professors, practitioners, and judges.