Private International Law

Introduction

Introduction

On February 25, 2010, in its ruling in Brita GmbH v. Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Hafen, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") ruled on the trade implications of one of the hot-potato issues of international law: the status of the territories occupied by Israel.

Introduction

The recent Supreme Court decision in Samantar v. Yousuf[1] definitively resolved one major question about the immunities of foreign government officials from civil suits in U.S. courts; at the same time, it left several others wide open. It thereby guaranteed that the source, scope, and certainty of such immunities will continue to be litigated energetically. This Insight explores some of the questions that will likely figure prominently in that litigation.

I. Introduction

In October 2008, Iceland's banking system collapsed. Within a week, the three major banks comprising ninety percent of the Icelandic banking system had failed. It was one of the fastest and most comprehensive banking crises in history. This collapse occurred at the height of the global credit crunch and followed the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in the United States.

On December 1, 2009, after a struggle of almost a decade, the Lisbon Treaty, aimed at improving the functioning of the European Union (EU), has entered into force.

The European Odyssey

Introduction