Category Archives: U.S. Foreign Relations Law

Certificates of Competency for Nominees to be Chiefs of Mission: 1980 – 2014

Posted on February 13, 2019 by

In the Foreign Service Act of 1980, Congress mandated the creation of official records by which to assess the qualifications of ambassadorial nominees. Section 304 provides that, upon the nomination of an individual to serve in the office of ambassador, … Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. Foreign Relations Law | Leave a comment

A Closer Look at Congressional Foreign Travel

Posted on March 2, 2017 by

On Monday, Paul Singer at USA Today reported new data on the burgeoning practice of congressional foreign travel. According to Singer, federal legislators spent more government funds venturing abroad in 2016 than any other year in the past decade. Roughly … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Foreign Travel, U.S. Foreign Relations Law, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Legal Analysis of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s Trip to Syria

Posted on February 13, 2017 by

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) has drawn attention in recent weeks for leading a delegation to Syria and Lebanon, where she reportedly met with government leaders, refugees, and members of civil society. The stated purposes were to engage in fact-finding and … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Foreign Travel, Foreign Affairs Constitution, U.S. Foreign Relations Law, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Finding Customary International Law

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

I just posted the final, published version of my paper Finding Customary International Law, which came out in the Iowa Law Review last month. It’s available here.

Posted in Alien Tort Statute, U.S. Foreign Relations Law, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How Cosmopolitan Are International Law Professors?

Posted on April 22, 2016 by

Milan Markovic (Texas A&M) and I just posted a new piece about U.S. professors of international law. Here’s the abstract: This Article offers an empirical answer to a question of interest among scholars of comparative international law: why do American views … Continue reading →

Posted in International Law, U.S. Foreign Relations Law | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New Article on Customary International Law

Posted on September 16, 2015 by

I just posted a draft of a new article that studies citations in published judicial opinions to evaluate how federal courts go about ascertaining customary international law. For those interested, it’s forthcoming in the Iowa Law Review and available here.

Posted in International Law, U.S. Foreign Relations Law | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Legislative Diplomacy After Zivotofsky

Posted on June 15, 2015 by

Zivotofsky was a case about the recognition power, but it was also the first in quite a while to offer any insight into the Justices’ views on the nature of the President’s power to communicate with foreign sovereigns. Given precedents like Curtiss-Wright, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Affairs Constitution, U.S. Foreign Relations Law | Tagged , | Leave a comment