Ten days before leading authorities in international criminal and humanitarian law convene in The Hague to inaugurate the historic and revolutionary International Criminal Court, they will be convening in Madison at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
On Saturday March 1, the Wisconsin International Law Journal will host its annual symposium, whose topic this year is The International Criminal Court: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead , in Godfrey & Kahn Hall (Room 2260) of the University of Wisconsin Law School, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.
The symposium will examine the idea, born out of the ruins of WWII and amid cries of ?never again,? of creating a permanent court to try individuals accused of such heinous international crimes as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Included will be a discussion of whether the Court will provide a genuine deterrent for future crimes that ?shock the conscience of mankind.? 
The panel will further examine the many legal issues surrounding the controversial International Criminal Court, some of which explain why the Bush Administration has pledged to withhold its support and cooperation from the Court.
The symposium speakers are among the nation's leading scholars in international criminal and humanitarian law:
Ambassador David Scheffer, Former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues; currently Senior V.P., United Nations Association.  Ambassador Scheffer signed the Rome Statute on behalf of the United States in the waning hours of the Clinton Administration.
Hon. Patricia M. Wald, Judge International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (1999-2001); Retired Judge, U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  Judge Wald wrote the first judgment to overturn a conviction of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
Prof. Beth Stephens, Associate Professor of Law, Rutgers-Camden School of Law and Cooperating Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights.  Prof. Stephens litigates international human rights claims in U.S. federal courts, including complaints against the U.S. government for the treatment of detainees since September 11th.
Prof. Diane F. Orentlicher, Professor of International Law, Washington College of Law at American University.   Prof. Orentlicher is known as a leading authority on human rights law and war crimes tribunals. She formerly directed American University's War Crimes Research Office and has worked to link evidence of crimes against humanity to the living former Khmer Rouge leaders of Cambodia.
Prof. Leila Nadya Sadat, Professor of Law, Washington University School of Law and Commissioner, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.   Prof. Sadat is a leading scholar of international and comparative law, known for her scholarship on the International Criminal Court.  Her work has been cited by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
The International Criminal Court entered into force on July 1, 2002 and has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. The Court's first bench of 18 judges was elected on February 7, 2003. To date, 139 countries are signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the Court, and 89 countries are ratified members. The most recent country to ratify the Statute is Afghanistan, against strong opposition from the United States. On Tuesday March 11, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will preside over a ceremony in The Hague inaugurating the International Criminal Court and swearing in its first bench of judges.
For more information on the Symposium, contact Lou Ann Bohn, Symposium Editor of the Wisconsin International Law Journal, (608) 262-3877, lbohn@voyager.net ; or UW Law School Professor Heinz Klug, (608) 262-7370, klug@facstaff.wisc.edu .

Submitted by on February 25, 2003

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