Yale Law School Hosts Global Seminar on Military Justice

Yale Law School will hold a Global Seminar on Military Justice on November 7 and 8 to examine the dramatic challenges facing military justice and the need to fix problems that have become the source of national and international attention.

The seminar will feature informed discussion by experts who are personally involved in reform efforts. The seminar is sponsored by the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund at Yale Law School and held in cooperation with the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War and the National Institute of Military Justice.

“There’s never been a more appropriate time for this seminar than right now, given the extraordinary interest in military justice reform in the U.S. and the challenges that we and other countries are facing, including military trials of civilians, questions of judicial independence, and the proper treatment of human rights violations,” said Eugene Fidell, the Florence Rogatz Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School.

Fidell, who organizes the seminar, is the co-founder and former president of the National Institute of Military Justice. He is a Life Member of the American Law Institute and a member of the Defense Legal Policy Board of the Department of Defense.

In recent years, issues surrounding military justice have been the topic of national controversies, and many have involved the treatment of sexual assault by the military. The seminar will look at the rising expectations around the world for due process and the rule of law in the administration of justice by military courts.

In particular, the seminar will focus on the handling of sexual assault cases and the role of commanders in the administration of military justice. Other topics include pending reform proposals in Congress and national governments around the world, recent court decisions surrounding military justice, and the use of military justice to stifle civilian dissent. A more detailed description of the conference agenda is available here.

The seminar will be open to the public and members of the media may also attend. Attendance is limited. Please RSVP to events.law@yale.edu.