42 Articles
👁 two fishermen in the foreground, the USSS Gravely in the background, on the open sea.
Can the U.S. Government Be Sued for Wrongful Death in a Caribbean Boat Strike?
In Burnley v. United States, relatives sue on behalf of two Trinidadian men killed in a boat strike, confronting U.S. sovereign immunity and the political question doctrine.
Jan. 29, 2026
Edward Swaine
👁 Image
Head of State Immunity and Maduro on Trial
Why did Maduro tell the judge he's still president? One reason: under international law, one country's sitting head of state can’t be prosecuted in another country’s courts.
Jan. 6, 2026
Chimène Keitner
👁 A view of the U.S. Supreme Court, with a cloudy sky
Supreme Court Narrows the FSIA’s Expropriation Exception (Again)
The decision in Hungary v. Simon has brought to an end 15 years of litigation against Holocaust victims in U.S. courts.
Feb. 25, 2025
William S. Dodge
👁 Russian banknotes
Past Time to Liquidate Russian Assets
Russia, not Ukraine, should bear the costs of its unprovoked war. Russia’s gross illegality has unjustly enriched Russia, impoverished Ukraine, and imposed huge costs on their…
Mar. 5, 2024
Harold Hongju Koh
👁 A view of the Russian Central Bank headquarters in downtown Moscow on May 26, 2022. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Transferring Russian Assets to Compensate Ukraine: Some Reflections on Countermeasures
There is no doubt that Russia owes compensation for the damage caused to Ukraine. But a key practical difficulty in achieving compensation for Ukraine and its people for the damage…
Mar. 1, 2024
Federica Paddeu
👁 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly speaks during the Eleventh Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Ukraine, at UN headquarters
Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act Under International Law
Alternatives to SEMA would ensure that Canada abides by international law in pushing back against Russia's violation of the U.N. Charter
Feb. 27, 2024
Preston Lim
👁 EU Building Lighted With Ukrainian Flag, Two EU Flags and One Ukrainian Flags in Front
Reparations for Ukraine: Three Proposals from Europe
Three European proposals seek to overcome or circumvent the key barrier to confiscation of Russian State-owned assets – the high level of immunity from enforcement that attaches…
Feb. 26, 2024
Philippa Webb
👁 Three workers in orange vests look through a pile of rock, with construction equipment in foreground and reconstructed bridge and Orthodox-style church in background.
Sovereign Immunity and Reparations in Ukraine
It would be hard to “unring” the bell of unilateral (and largely self-judging) exceptions to the protections traditionally afforded one State’s sovereign held by, or on the…
Feb. 21, 2024
Chimène Keitner
👁 A person walks past a hospital destroyed by a Russian missile attack in the town of Selydove, Donetsk region
How to Make Russia Pay to Rebuild Ukraine
A system of collective countermeasures institutionalized through the U.N. can create pressure to bring Russia to the table.
Feb. 20, 2024
Maggie Mills, Thomas Poston and 1 more
👁 Judges of the International Court of Justice stand at the opening of the session in the case of Equatorial Guinea v. France on February 17, 2020 in The Hague, Netherlands.
Iran’s ICJ Case against Canada Tests the Terrorism Exception to Sovereign Immunity
Iran’s ICJ Application alleges Canada’s designation of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and legislation allowing private plaintiffs to sue Iran in Canadian courts for terrorism-related…
Jul. 24, 2023
Maryam Jamshidi
👁 Ukrainian and Russian flags.
Запитання та відповіді експертів щодо конфіскації активів у війні Росії проти України
As a matter of both law and fairness, resources to rebuild Ukraine should come from Russia. Effectuating this redistribution is, however, much more complicated than it might at…
Apr. 3, 2023
Chimène Keitner
👁 Ukrainian and Russian flags.
Expert Q&A on Asset Seizure in Russia’s War in Ukraine
As a matter of both law and fairness, resources to rebuild Ukraine should come from Russia. Effectuating this redistribution is, however, much more complicated than it might at…
Apr. 3, 2023
Chimène Keitner