Expert Backgrounder

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A photo of a white male police officer wearing sunglasses and police uniform, standing next to two vehicles in front of the ornate tan and gold gates of Mar-a-Lago, with an American flag flying to the left of the gates. Palm trees wave in the background against a stormy sky.

Expert Backgrounder: Criminal Statutes that Could Apply to Trump’s Retention of Government Documents

The DOJ obtained a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. What underlying crimes might have justified the search? Experts survey the possibilities.

Expert Backgrounder: NATO Response Options to Potential Russia Cyber Attacks

Top cyber law expert explains NATO member states' legal options in event of different forms of Russian cyber attacks in wake of Ukraine invasion.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addresses a press conference in Kabul on September 7, 2021. Flags of the Taliban stand on both sides of the desk he sits at.

Between Legitimacy and Control: The Taliban’s Pursuit of Governmental Status

Recognition of a government involves calculations of both law and politics. What factors will influence States' response to the Taliban?
Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Ghulam M. Isaczai waits to speak during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on August 16, 2021 at the United Nations in New York.

Expert Backgrounder: How Can The Taliban Be Prevented From Representing Afghanistan In The United Nations?

A masterclass in law and practice, of United Nations credentials system by former U.N. Assistant-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.
A Taliban fighter with a gun patrols along a street in Kabul on August 17, 2021. The flag of the Taliban stands in a traffic cone at a vehicle checkpoint.

Expert Backgrounder: Recognition and the Taliban

An expert analysis of the international law of recognition of governments, and four diplomatic options states have in addressing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Mo Brooks talks at a podium with the sign “Save America.” He wears a hat that reads, “Fire Pelosi.” American flags stand on either side of him.

Expert Backgrounder: The Westfall Act and Representative Brooks’s Speech

Professor Paul Figley, who served as Deputy Director in Torts Branch of Justice Department's Civil Division for fifteen years, explains the legal framework for Swalwell v. Brooks,…
A SolarWinds sign and logo sits on top of the SolarWinds office building in Brno in the Czech Republic.

Top Expert Backgrounder: Russia’s SolarWinds Operation and International Law

A legal analysis of whether the SolarWinds cyber hack violated international law, and the U.S. government's response options.
A demonstrator walks in front of a row of military police members wearing riot gear as they push back demonstrators outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C.

The Military Justice Dimension: Constraints on Military Personnel in Handling Civil Unrest

Top Expert Backgrounder: How the code of military justice applies to National Guard and other military personnel responding to protests. What must they do if the president issues…

Top Expert Backgrounder: Trump’s Impeachment–What Comes Next?

Yale Law School's Harold Koh describes the next set of decisions on the current road to impeachment of President Trump.
Central American migrant families arrive at a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from federal detention on June 12, 2019, in McAllen, Texas.

Top Expert Backgrounder: Children in Immigration Detention — What are the International Norms?

Vice Chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, Felice Gaer, writing in her personal capacity.
Maps showing US and Iranian reports of drone paths.

Top Expert Backgrounder: Aborted U.S. Strike, Cyber Operation Against Iran and International Law

"It is difficult to definitely conclude that the proposed U.S. kinetic strikes would have been valid exercises of self-defense."
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