17th Cornell Law School Graduate Conference
On March 13 and 14, 2025, the Cornell Doctor of the Science of Law Association – JSDA hosted its 17th Graduate Conference in Legal Studies. This two-day inter-university conference was co-hosted by the Cornell International Law Journal. The two days were a forum for junior scholars to share their current research projects on law and social sciences, receive input from faculty, and discuss their works in progress with peers. This conference hosted junior scholars from all around the world. The panels revolved around International Criminal Law and the Law of Genocide, The Law of Armed Conflict, International Environmental Law, and the Philosophy of Law.
The panels had the active comments of the Cornell Community professors: Muna Ndulo, Andrei Marmor, Bradley Wendel, Michael Dorf, Jens Ohlin, and Allison Charchtyen. In partnership with the Berger Center, the conference featured Keynote Speakers Federica D’Alessandra, Deputy Director of the Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict (ELAC) at Oxford University, and Samuel Moyn, Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University.
For the first time in 17 years, the JSDA and the Cornell International Law Journals worked jointly to publish the papers presented at the conference as work in progress, in order to provide access to the legal community to the academic work of junior scholars from all over the world.
- THE CONCEPT OF “LEGAL ORDER” AND “LEGAL SYSTEM” BETWEEN PRINCIPLES AND GENERAL CLAUSES IN THE POST-MODERN ERA: A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH.1) The idea of legal system: starting from T. Hobbes; 2) Some preliminary considerations on the role of logic in the construction of the legal system; 3) Principles and general clauses: some semantic aspects; 4) The Crisis of the Legal System. Two Case Studies: One Italian (on Principles) and One German (on General Clauses); 5)…
- Coercive-offers and Responding to the Wrong Kind of Reasons“Coercive offers” are murky. They enhance freedom by providing beneficial options yet feelcoercive. Consider, for instance, the case of a lecherous millionaire offering to pay for a child’slife-saving treatment provided the mother agrees to become his mistress. While this may feelcoercive, such offers are often classified as voluntary – either because they provide a benefitaccording…
- Standing Authorizations for Pro-Democratic Interventions and the Paradox of External Sovereignty (JSDA Conference 2025)
- The Analogous Operation of the ICC and US Mass Incarceration (JSDA Conference 2025)
- Addressing the LGBT+ Protection Gap in Armed Conflict: The Legality of Repealing Anti-LGBT+ Laws in Occupied Territories (JSDA Conference 2025)Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals are among the least protected groups in armed conflict. Their existing vulnerability to discrimination and violence is specifically exacerbated in the context of situations of occupation. However, there have been very few efforts to respond to these risks in the context of armed conflicts, leaving LGBTQIA+…
- The Big Tech-Military Nexus: AI, Warfare, and the Future of International Law (JSDA Conference 2025)The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into modern warfare has sparked significant debates regarding its implications for international law, ethics, and transitional justice. This research explores the transformative role of AI-driven technologies,particularly autonomous weapons systems, in reshaping the interpretation and application of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), International Criminal Law (ICL), and International Human…
- What Leads to the “Crime of Crimes?” A Comparative Analysis of Four Genocides (JSDA Conference 2025)
- Not a Rational Choice: How AI (Regulation) is Eroding our Autonomy (JSDA Conference 2025)Legal systems as we know them are about to change with the advent of AI, and public regulation worldwide may not be ready. In my paper I critically analyze the way AI has been regulated until now, describing how – although the serious risks of certain AI applications are clear – governments and legislators across…
- Restorative and Negotiated Justice in Transitional Societies: Rethinking the ICC’s Principle of Complementarity (JSDA Conference 2025)
- Integrating Bioacoustics and International Water Law for Assessing the Behavioral Impacts of Underwater Noise on Cetaceans: Towards Private Governance & Enhanced Conservation Strategies (JSDA Conference 2025)
- Third Countries’ Reactions to the EU CBAM: a Law & Economics Approach (JSDA Conference 2025)The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a measure of the European Union (EU)aimed at imposing its carbon price on foreign producers of certain carbon-intensive products,with the final goal of addressing the risk of carbon leakage and contributing to the objectives of the Paris Agreement. However, it has been widely perceived by third countries as…
- Third-State Position Amidst Russian Aggression Against Ukraine (JSDA Conference 2025)On February 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation announced what he referred to as a “special military operation” against Ukraine. Although the Russian Federation claims that its intervention is consistent with international law, the vast majority of the international community has condemned this action as a blatant violation of the prohibition on…
These papers are uploaded in accordance with the manner they were submitted for the conference. They are not intended as final drafts for publication, and were not subjected to the Cornell International Law Journal editorial process.