Digest of US Practice in International Law now available online

Digest of United States Practice in International Law 2011 – now exclusively online:. 

The Digest is an annual record of the views and practice of the US government in public and private international law. Written by the Office of the Legal advisor of the US Department of State and co-published by Oxford University Press and the International Law Institute, the Digest provides relevant documents and excerpts along with short explanatory and background notes on significant issues from the previous year. These documents include treaties, diplomatic notes and correspondence, legal opinion letters, judicial decisions, Senate committee reports and press releases from the US Department of State as well as other governmental departments and agencies that deal with international law. Since accessibility is a goal of the publication, the Digest frequently cites to internet or other publicly available sources of the full text documents.

The Digest is useful for students, practitioners, and other members of the international legal community researching customary law or particular issues in international law or looking for an overview of a year in US international law. Of particular interest to the Yale community might be the sections devoted to human rights, investment, and private arbitration. Human rights issues appearing in the 2011 Digest include Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, U.S. initiatives to protect the human rights of LGBT persons, Children’s rights, food, water, and sanitation rights, U.S. Statement at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, climate change, torture, and the promotion of human rights during Arab Spring and with respect to counterterrorism. The section on trade, commercial relations, and investment covers issues relating to the North American Free Trade agreement and the World Trade Organization. Private arbitration issues include the Arbitration and Related Actions Arising from the Softwood Lumber Agreement, Removal from State Court of Case Related to an Arbitration, and the Enforceability of Arbitration Clauses.

For further information, read the summary of the contents of the 2011 Digest written by Legal Adviser and former Dean of Yale Law School Harold Hongju Koh.