Righting Wrongs in Court: Litigating and Prosecuting Human Rights Violations

Brown Bag Lunch Series

Speaker: Aisling Reidy, Senior Legal Advisor at Human Rights Watch

Several well known civil rights victories can be traced back to the courts–for example, Roe v. Wade on women and abortion rights; Brown v. Board of Education on education and segregation; and Lawrence v. Texas on gay rights.  This is also true in the area of international human rights law, with landmark cases on issues from sexual violence to discrimination to immigration to voting rights setting universal standards for government obligations. However, choosing litigation as a strategy to advance rights should not be undertaken lightly. Aisling Reidy, Senior Legal Advisor with Human Rights Watch, will talk about some of the pros, cons, and calculations involved in deciding whether saying “see you in court” is the way to go, and the different roles that NGOs can play in litigation strategy. She will draw on her experience as a legal representative of clients before the European Court of Human Rights, a prosecutor at the ICTY, and drafting amici briefs for NGOs.

Kosher pizza will be served.