Topic 1

On September 3, 2008, in Yassin Abdullah Kadi and Al Barakaat International Foundation v. Council of the European Union and Commission of the European Communities, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overruled the Court of First Instance and annulled the regulation of the Council of the European Union (Council of the EU) that froze the funds of Mr. Kadi and Al Barakaat (Appellants).

Introduction

On May 30, 2008, delegates at the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions adopted the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), a new treaty that seeks to ban the use, development, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, and transfer of cluster munitions.[1] The CCM will be opened for signature on December 3, 2008 (CCM, Article 15).

I. Introduction

Introduction

1. Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

On July 14, 2008, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ("ICC", "Court") applied to Pre-Trial Chamber III of the Court for an arrest warrant against the President of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir.[1] This is the first time that the Prosecutor filed charges against a sitting head of state.

Introduction

On June 12, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. government in cases brought by foreign nationals challenging their detention at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba military facility.[1] A five-justice majority in Boumediene v. Bush held that the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA)[2] violated the U.S.