MJIL Blog

Elena Macomber In 2002, the Rome Statute came into force and operations at the International Criminal Court (ICC) commenced.[1] With the twentieth-century backdrop of two world wars and massive ethnic violence, both individuals and states were motivated to create a permanent and universal body to prosecute systemically violent crimes against human beings.[2] While the Court…

Dominic Detwiler In August of 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, which the administration claims was part of “the most aggressive climate action in U.S. history”[1] and would move the country forward in the President’s “goal that at least 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold…

Maria Pfister What is the agreement? Last month, over 190 countries signed a new agreement to protect global biodiversity.[1] The agreement, titled the “Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” was the end result of a nearly two-week conference, the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (“COP15”), held in Montreal and co-hosted by Canada and…

Harrison LeFrois After widespread coverage of the 27th United Nations’ (“UN”) Climate Conference of the Parties (“COP27”) held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November, 2022,[1] there is more hopeful environmental news to share. The 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (“COP15”) was held in Montreal, Canada from December 7 through December 19, 2022.[2] The Biodiversity Conferences were…

Connor Smith In  February 2022, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) ended the “China Initiative,”  an effort launched in November 2018 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to identify and prosecute Chinese spies who had purportedly infiltrated American research institutions—both public and private.[1] The China Initiative sought to combat industrial espionage and theft of intellectual property, though…

Ali Casey Vanilla is a spice that is enjoyed across the globe. Madagascar, an island country located off the southeastern coast of Africa, produces around 75 to 80 percent of the world’s natural vanilla.[1] Moreover, vanilla is Madagascar’s leading agricultural export.[2] Madagascar vanilla beans are considered the “gold standard” of quality vanilla beans because of…

Jasmin Hernandez Du Bois Despite holding less than five percent of the world’s population, the United States has nearly twenty-five percent of the world’s total prison population.[1] Using Ghana’s paralegal training program as a guidepost, this article seeks to encourage the United States to take a progressive approach to prison reform, including the implementation of…

Jay Kim Soon after the COVID-19 outbreak, the world was under lockdown, but in 2022, the frontline and borderline areas of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“North Korea”) remain closed.[1] Moreover, the North Korean government continues to enforce the “shoot to kill” order.[2] Under this order, people are shot unconditionally for entering into the…

By Jasmin Hernandez Du Bois In 2022, record heat waves caused by climate change are being set across the globe.[1] One country particularly impacted is Pakistan, a South Asian country bridging India and the Middle East. While monsoons are typical for the region, this year’s torrential downpours smashed centuries of weather records.[2] The floods, which…

By Grant Newman In September, President Biden reiterated he would send U.S. forces to Taiwan if there was an unprecedented attack, calling into question the United States’ “strategic ambiguity” policy after Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was met with a display of Chinese military exercises. [1] Fear of a potential clash between the world’s two…