Law of the High Skies: Defining Due Regard Obligations for State Aircraft

By ilrdigit | October 24, 2025 |

Written by Lara Maluf-Mas I. Introduction In 1944, the Convention on International Aviation (“Convention”) established the framework for international aviation law and the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”). The ICAO, composed of 193 member states, develops standards and procedures for international civil aviation. The ICAO draws a strict distinction between civil and state aircraft: while…

The Legacy Act: Reconciling Amnesty with International Law

By ilrdigit | October 19, 2025 |

Written by Caroline Montgomery Introduction In September 2023, the United Kingdom enacted the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act (“Legacy Act”) with the stated goal of “drawing a line under the Troubles” by ending most legal proceedings for Troubles-era crimes. The Legacy Act replaced prosecutions for troubles-era crimes and civil claims with a truth-recovery…

Golden Gateway: Why Transatlantic Commerce Needs California as Its New Arbitration Hub

By ilrdigit | October 18, 2025 |

Written by Alexandra Schieferer Introduction The latest Arbitration Statistics from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) reveal a rapidly shifting global landscape—while the United States remains a top-five destination for major commercial disputes, arbitral hubs like the UAE have surged onto the world stage, signaling that the old order is being challenged. As transatlantic businesses…

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: How Iran’s Opinio Juris Claim of Sovereign Immunity Highlights a Crisis of Authority for the International Court of Justice

By ilrdigit | October 3, 2025 |

Written by Ellasandra Hahn Introduction International law presents a notoriously tricky challenge: who makes, defines, and enforces the rules? The United Nations tried to address these questions through the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”). While it is the preeminent body designed to settle disputes between States and issue advisory opinions, the ICJ’s authority is precarious.…

Migrating Behind: How the United States’ Decision to Revoke Venezuelans’ Temporary Protected Status Shirks State Responsibility

By ilrdigit | September 27, 2025 |

Written by Juli Gomez Introduction On February 5, 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would be terminating Venezuela’s designation of temporary protected status (“TPS”). Venezuela was last designated for TPS in 2023, under the Biden administration, and was set to expire on April 2, 2025. Secretary Noem’s decision to…

Sexual Violence in the Tigray Region Worsens with Little Intervention from Ethiopia

By ilrdigit | September 22, 2025 |

Written by Christaina Leriche Introduction Years after the end of the Tigrayan conflict in 2022, rape, abuse, and other forms of violence against women and children in the Tigray region of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia persist. This violence is perpetuated with little to no intervention from the Ethiopian government on behalf of the Tigray…

Depths of Deception: State-Backed Undersea Cable Disruptions and the Role of International Maritime Law

By ilrdigit | September 21, 2025 |

Written by Kyle Patlove Introduction & Background In just the past 18 months, a pattern of undersea cable disruptions, six in the Baltic Sea and the Taiwan Strait alone, has coincided with the presence of large cargo ships linked to Russia or China. These cuts mirror broader incidents across the region; NATO officials now cite at least eleven such…

Automated Borders, Human Consequences: The Use of AI in Migration Control and the Legal Limits of International Refugee Law

By ilrdigit | September 15, 2025 |

Written by Evie Bellino I. Introduction As artificial intelligence (“AI”) becomes increasingly embedded in border control systems around the world, a troubling question emerges: are these technological tools helping governments manage migration more efficiently, or are they dangerously undermining the rights of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations? In the United States, the scale…

The Impunity of Corporations in International Criminal Law

By ilrdigit | September 4, 2025 |

Written by Carter Schwalls Introduction Multinational Corporations (“MNCs”) operating in conflict zones often act with impunity, leveraging opaque supply chains and weak enforcement mechanisms to insulate themselves from liability. Whether it is a cement company allegedly financing ISIS to protect its infrastructure, or a tech firm enabling surveillance by authoritarian regimes, corporate conduct has increasingly…

A New Era of Refugees: Rethinking International Protection for Climate-Displaced Persons in the Horn of Africa

By ilrdigit | August 29, 2025 |

Written by Jillian Ratnavale Introduction Climate change has become a driving force behind widespread droughts, desertification, and crop failure in the Horn of Africa. These impacts have displaced millions of people across Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, either internally or across borders. The growing scale of climate displacement demands legal recognition and protection. As global responses…