Current Issue

Maggie Rogers In October 2024, Italy passed a bill that criminalizes surrogacy for Italian residents, no matter where the surrogacy is performed.[1] Surrogacy on Italian soil has been illegal since 2004,[2] but this new law makes it a universal crime,[3] a designation typically reserved for crimes against humanity. Giorgio Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, justified […]

Candace Dasanna Between 2002 and 2020 approximately half a million noncitizens were deported from the United States for drug offenses, many of which involved only minor charges.[1] These deportations were carried out under the Immigration and Nationality Act[2] (hereinafter “the INA” or “the Act”), which mandates deportability for individuals convicted of almost any controlled substance […]

Sarah Grosse Perdekamp The first juvenile court in the world was established in the United States, in Cook County, Illinois, in 1899.[1] This and other reforms were an outgrowth of the “child savers” movement of the late 19th century.[2] The movement’s legal implications were significant and shifted the focus of the juvenile justice system from […]

Sarah Wlazlo Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is one of the hottest topics in collegiate sports currently. With House v. NCAA slowly reaching its settlement and the National Labor Relations Board coming to decisions on employment status for student-athletes regarding NIL deals, the grey area of money-making ventures has never been broader.[1] This is no […]

Megan Johnson In October 2024, Australia’s Northern Territory government passed legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 years-old to 10 years-old.[1] This change in law makes it so that children between the ages of 10 and 14 can be held criminally responsible if the prosecution is able to prove that the child […]

Daisy Geng Who actually “owns” the Moon, asteroids, or even a plot on Mars? The idea of claiming space territory may sound like science fiction, but it’s becoming a very real challenge in international law. Today, the private sector is leading the charge, with companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and emerging asteroid mining firms eyeing […]

Vol. 34 Staff Member, Minnesota Journal of International Law The 2024 arrest of the current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, along with one of the Juaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s sons has undeniably stirred up a hornet’s nest in northwestern Mexico. El Chapo, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel who was […]

Stephanie Buersmeyer Background Gymnastics is one of the marquee events of the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, in Paris, the meet ended in controversy as the final event, the Women’s Floor Exercise Final, has been embroiled in legal disputes over the bronze medal. Jordan Chiles of USA Gymnastics (‘USAG’) competed last and, at the time, Romanian Ana […]

Mlada Simper Theft, forgery, and money laundering – the art market has a surprising dark side. Debate rages on about how prevalent or profitable the underground art market truly is, but the Organized Crime Group of the UK Metropolitan Police and Interpol estimate that the art black market generates at least $6 billion annually.[1] The […]

Alec Casey The presence of mercenaries in modern conflicts has garnered media attention. From Blackwater in Iraq to the Wagner Group in Ukraine, mercenaries have become a ubiquitous presence in 21st century conflicts.[1] This raises important questions—What does international law have to say about mercenaries? Have state actors and other entities actually respected the law […]