Oscar Pistorius Verdict: Judicial Criticism and Uncertain Sentencing

On September 12, South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend, model and law graduate, Reeva Steenkamp. Acquitting Pistorius on the charge of murder, Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down the manslaughter-equivalent finding in the North Gauteng High Court. Pistorius, 27, was released on bail and will … Read more

Critical Analysis: Judge Overturns Acquittal in Amanda Knox Murder Trial

The Amanda Knox saga is far from over, as Italy’s highest court overturned a judgment of acquittal and has ordered a new trial. The initial conviction, which came in 2009 in Perugia, Italy, followed a highly publicized and sensationalized trial. After deliberating for 12 hours, a jury convicted  Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, for … Read more

The First Family of Genocide

Pauline Nyiramasuhuko

The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda issued its judgment earlier this summer in the case of Pauline Nyiramasuhuko et al. The Rwanda Tribunal has been working for 17 years and it has completed 50 genocide trials. Its judgments are now issued with comparatively little fanfare. But the Nyiramasuhuko judgment is extraordinary and merits … Read more