St. Thomas Law's Intercultural Human Rights Law Review Ranked No.6 in the World

The most recent Washington & Lee Global Law Journal Ranking (2009-2016) ranks St. Thomas Law's Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, in terms of its impact, No. 6 among all human rights law journals in the world.   It bested long-established reviews such as the Human Rights Quarterly, the Human Rights Law Review, and the International Review of the Red Cross.

Professor Roza Pati, one of the dedicated faculty advisors, attributes the review's success to two important elements: (1) the J.D. and LL.M. students who constitute the membership of the review and perform stellar work throughout the year; and (2) the fact that the publication features articles from the most highly acclaimed international law academics and practitioners, judges, legislators and UN officials.
"I am very proud to work with such an excellent team of students every year,” she stated.

Volume 12 of the acclaimed journal has just been published and features groundbreaking articles on the iconic Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina; the adaptation of human rights standards to local norms in the African Ebola crisis; a quantitative assessment of the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review process; an analysis and call for action on classified websites and sex trafficking; and in-depth articles on the Law Review’s symposium on Florida’s Stand Your Ground laws.

Evelyn Reyes '17

Maria Asencion '17

Volume 12 also features articles written by two St. Thomas Law students: Evelyn Reyes (“Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law:  How to Get Away with Murder”) and Maria Lourdes Asención (“Classified Websites, Sex Trafficking, and the Law:  Problem and Proposal”).

Professor Siegfried Wiessner, the other faculty advisor, noted that both students' articles apply New Haven’s policy-oriented approach to jurisprudence in model fashion.  

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to have worked with the IHRLR and to Professor Wiessner for all of his support," stated Evelyn.  "The Stand Your Ground law is a topic that I am very passionate about and I've followed several cases that have impacted the state of Florida since the law's enactment in 2005. I felt that people should be made aware of how easily a law that is meant to protect individuals can be used to kill them instead."

Maria is also grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute in the legal field with her publication, and expressed her thanks to Professor Wiessner for his belief in her topic and subsequent article.  She was moved to write on the issue of sex trafficking not only to increase awareness of the issue, but also to advocate for changes to laws that would result in the closing of loopholes that currently allow traffickers flourish online.

Founded in 2006, the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review is an annual journal of intercultural human rights scholarship affiliated with the St. Thomas University Law School and its Intercultural Human Rights Program.
The journal's goal is to publish well-written, cutting-edge human rights scholarship by academics, practitioners, and students. In so doing, this journal provides a forum for the exchange of ideas from a variety of intercultural perspectives.

The Intercultural Human Rights Law Review is committed to exploring new directions and perspectives and providing resources for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. Its mission extends beyond publication. The journal strives to facilitate activism and outreach as well as scholarship. In furtherance of this goal it sponsors numerous intimate discussions and debates on a wide variety of intercultural human rights issues, and hosts an annual symposium focused on a specific topic related to intercultural and human rights law.

VOLUME 12 BOARD OF EDITORS

Editors in Chief

Tomas Randle

Amal Uthman

Managing Editor

Belkys Yzquierdo

Executive Editors

Pryscilla Nicolau

Denise Pichardo

Leighton Regis

Thomas Woldeghiorghis 

Student Articles Editor

William Johnson

Articles Procurement Editor

Danny Telcy-Louis

2017-18 IHRLR Editorial Board Members 

J.D. Editor-in-Chief: Denise Pichardo

Managing Editor: Ingrid Arzola

Executive Editor: James Sanchez

Student Articles Editor: Arturo Abreu

Faculty Advisors

Professor Dr. iur. Siegfried Wiessner

Professor Dr. iur. Roza Pati