Federal Prosecutions of International Crimes
SLN #: 12124Course Prefix: LAW-691
Course Section: 1009
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Hepburn;Levesque
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
This course is designed to acquaint students with the legal intricacies of using domestic laws to prosecute international crimes. Taught through a combination of lecture, discussion, and simulation, the course will teach the fundamentals of criminal prosecution. The role of the federal prosecutor and key phases of a criminal case will be explored, such as initiating investigations and creating investigative plans; obtaining evidence from foreign countries and ensuring it is admissible in court; addressing constitutional issues that can arise when gathering evidence abroad; making charging decisions; exploring discovery issues common in transnational prosecutions; drafting indictments and presenting before the grand jury; preparing the case for trial; negotiating pleas; and preparing for sentencing. These topics will be explored using investigation/case simulations from U.S. substantive human rights and humanitarian law statutes, including the U.S. War Crimes Act, smuggling statutes used to dismantle complex transnational smuggling organizations, and other U.S. statutes that have extraterritorial reach. Simulated exercises and corresponding writing assignments may include: preparing investigative plans; conducting witness interviews; drafting search warrant affidavits for electronic and other evidence; identifying the legal elements for novel statutes; crafting indictments; eliciting grand jury testimony; preparing and delivering opening statements, direct examinations, cross-examinations, and closing arguments; and drafting and negotiating plea agreements. An investigation/case study may include the armed conflict in Ukraine and recent smuggling events that raise grave humanitarian concerns.
Both Evidence and Criminal Procedure are recommended
prerequisites.
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Written Assignment: Yes
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Yes
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Prerequisite: Recommended - both Evidence and Criminal Procedure
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Final Exam Given: No
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Teaching Method: In Person
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.