Minnesota Journal of International Law

The Minnesota Journal of International Law is a student-led publication at the University of Minnesota Law School. We aspire to be a leader in the multidisciplinary study of international and comparative law. The Journal annually publishes two print volumes and one online edition.

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MJIL Blog

Whitewashing the Past: The Modern Legacy of the Theory Behind Buck v. Bell

October 14, 2024

Noah Richardson In 1927, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, wrote the opinion in Buck v. Bell that upheld Virginia’s forced sterilization law.[1] The statute, one of several that had been passed in states across the country, was part of a larger movement aimed at eradicating undesirable traits from […]

The Wide Reach of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

October 7, 2024

Emily Seitz The European Union (“EU”) presented the European Green Deal in December of 2019.[1] The European Green Deal consists of various policy instruments that will be used with the goal of creating a more sustainable European economy in areas like energy, agriculture, and industry.[2] The hope for the European Green Deal is to make […]

El Salvador’s Mano Dura: Balancing Order and Rights in the Shadow of Gang Violence

March 31, 2024

Laura Reyes, University of Minnesota Law Volume 34 Editor-in-Chief “We can arrest anyone we want,” a Salvadoran law enforcement officer remarked to a mother after detaining her son.[1] As of February 2024, more than 76,000 people—nearly two percent of the Salvadoran population—have been detained, imprisoned under inhumane conditions,[2] and are awaiting trial in El Salvador. […]

Tracking International Tax Avoiders, Brooke Meister

March 25, 2024

Tracking International Tax Avoiders, Brooke Meister Tax season is coming up for US based taxpayers and while the subject of tax is often the pinnacle of boredom for many, it is of vital importance to nearly every important topic that individuals and governments of all levels interact with. While tax itself can be a snooze, […]

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: International Legal Enforcement Takes a Sideline Seat to Economic Prowess, Chaisson Bowen

March 25, 2024

The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which escalated with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the recent invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has raised significant questions about the effectiveness and enforceability of international law. This blog post will examine the legal issues surrounding the conflict and their implications for the international legal system. […]

International Adjudication vs. Judicial Remedies, Abirami Swaminath

March 25, 2024

International Adjudication vs. Judicial Remedies, Abirami Swaminath   The foremost authority on international law is the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the various networks within the United Nations, including the treaties and charters that different nations have signed into, govern many fields of international law before the issue is handed to the ICJ. By […]

The Ethiopia-Somaliland Naval Base Deal is a Violation of International Law

February 16, 2024

        The Ethiopia-Somaliland Naval Base Deal Is a Violation of International Law Aman Obsiye   On January 1, 2024, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Somaliland – an unrecognized secessionist region within the Federal Republic of Somalia.  The MOU grants Ethiopia twenty kilometers […]

U.N. Cybercrime Treaty a Potential Threat to Free Speech

January 29, 2024

Wendy Erickson The United Nations is in the process of negotiating a landmark global cybercrime treaty, which if adopted, will be the first binding U.N. instrument on cybercrime. The treaty has the backing of Russia, China and a number of other countries. Negotiations over the scope and content of the treaty have been dominated by […]

From Aeolus to Ares: Wins of War Stir in the Eastern Aegean

December 27, 2023

Jacob Vander Weit Accounts of hostility and contention between Greece and Turkey over the Aegean Sea have been recorded since the dawn of western literature.[1] Recent tensions between these two powers are once again rising, with both countries threatening the possibility of war.[2] Among many, one controversy of the most recent dispute regards Greece’s contested […]

UK-Rwanda ‘Asylum Partnership’: Legislation introduced to skirt rulings by the UK Supreme Court and ECHR

December 27, 2023

Mikaela Braddy Smith In the United Kingdom (UK), a debate has sparked over a new bill that was introduced in Parliament on Thursday, December 7th – the “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.[1] It aims to legally assert Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers, allowing the UK to turn away migrants without […]