International Law

Weekly Briefs: Lawyer censured over false time sheets; California law allows ‘stealthing’ suits

Lawyer censured for seeking no-show pay Lawyer Laura Cail, of Rensselaer County, New York, has been censured for filing false time sheets to collect more than $12,000 for work that she didn’t perform at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Cail had previously resolved criminal charges…

Oct 15, 2021 1:44 PM CDT

Guilty verdict in terrorism trial for hotelier of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ fame is unfair, ABA center says

“This was a show trial rather than a fair judicial inquiry,” Geoffrey Robertson of the the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch said in a press release. Robinson wrote a report on the trial with the ABA Center for Human Rights staff in June.

Sep 20, 2021 2:30 PM CDT

Advocating for human rights for workers around the world is part of the ABA’s mission

Next time you put on that top fashion-brand garment made in Bangladesh, consider the workers who produced it. Are they still alive, despite wages below poverty level and unsafe working conditions? Or have some been killed or injured in a factory collapse or fire, or in an attempt to strike…

Sep 14, 2021 4:00 PM CDT

Texas lawyer pleads guilty to passing public PACER documents to Mexican drug traffickers

A lawyer with an office in McAllen, Texas, has pleaded guilty to violating the Travel Act by accessing the PACER court database and using his cellphone to pass the publicly available information to drug traffickers.

Jul 28, 2021 4:00 PM CDT

US lawyer in Hong Kong is convicted for trying to stop beating by man who turned out to be cop

An American corporate lawyer in Hong Kong is planning to appeal after his assault conviction last week for intervening when a man attacked a commuter.

Jun 28, 2021 9:22 AM CDT

Don’t call him ‘sir’: Law prof reflects on receiving honorary knight award from the UK

Philip Bobbitt, a Columbia Law School professor, is not sure when the ceremonies will take place in recognition of him being awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. At the moment, most of his time is taken up looking after his four young children, and they have different titles for him.

Jun 22, 2021 12:53 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS tosses child slavery case; DOJ drops suit and probe over Bolton book

SCOTUS tosses suit over child slavery in Ivory Coast The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Nestlé USA and Cargill can’t be sued here under the Alien Tort Statute for allegedly providing assistance to Ivory Coast cocoa farms that used child slaves. In an opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, the…

Jun 17, 2021 3:48 PM CDT

Could international animal rights laws prevent the next pandemic? Rajesh Reddy has a plan

“You can be vigilant in how you work to prevent zoonotic diseases and spillovers from different species, but that doesn’t help you if your neighbors aren’t following the same rules and protocols,” says Rajesh Reddy.

Jun 1, 2021 12:50 AM CDT

Justice Breyer says looking to international law can help the court evaluate US cases

“You can’t do your job properly without [looking to international law] in some cases, and it’s a growing number. ... You have to know something about and look for something beyond your own shores,” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer said.

Apr 15, 2021 9:13 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge admonished partly for remote hearing impatience; ABA files brief opposing rigid cash bail

Judge admonished for impatience, guilt remark A California judge has been admonished for a “display of impatience and irritation” and a remark about an acquitted defendant’s guilt. Judge Patrick E. Connolly appeared irritated during a remote hearing because defense lawyers could not show him paperwork, according to the California Commission…

Apr 6, 2021 4:14 PM CDT

ABA is on a ‘promising path forward,’ President Patricia Lee Refo says

Since taking office, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo has maintained a schedule of events that would've once been unimaginable.

Feb 22, 2021 3:46 PM CST

Remain-in-Mexico policy for asylum-seekers will be reviewed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a Trump administration policy that requires asylum-seekers at the southern border to remain in Mexico while their cases are pending.

Oct 19, 2020 11:29 AM CDT

National security lawyers say Russia is ramping up attacks on the American judiciary—and meeting resistance

“I think their clearest objective is to convince people that our institutions, including our justice system, are irrevocably broken,” says Suzanne Spaulding, senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Oct 1, 2020 1:50 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Self-driving car crash leads to charge; ABA center will monitor trial of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero

Backup driver for self-driving car is charged after crash death A backup driver for an Uber self-driving test vehicle has been charged with negligent homicide for a March 2018 crash that killed a homeless woman. Rafael Vasquez, 46, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Maricopa County, Arizona. Police in Tempe, Arizona,…

Sep 18, 2020 3:01 PM CDT

Lawyer accused of obtaining fraudulent environmental verdict against Chevron is disbarred

Rejecting a referee’s recommendation, a New York appeals court has disbarred an environmental lawyer for obtaining a fraudulent $8.6 billion judgment against Chevron in Ecuador.

Aug 14, 2020 10:56 AM CDT