An Introduction to Treaty Research U'S' Practice in International Law'

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An Introduction to Treaty Research U.S.
Practice in International Law.

• January 21, 2004
• International ALR Spring 2004

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DEFINITIONS TYPES OF TREATIES

• Treaties and Conventions are formal agreements
  b/n countries constitute one of the major
  sources of international law.
• Bilateral treaties are made between two
  countries.
• Multilateral treaties are initiated and developed
  between more than two nations.

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Treaty Development

• 1648 Peace Treaties of Westphalia
  (http//www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/westphal.htm)
  were the first modern treaties.
• 1648-end of 19th century heads of state and
  foreign ministers negotiated treaties primarily
  to prevent war and to promote commerce.
• 20th century heads of state and foreign
  ministers expanded the subject matter of
  treaties.
• Today some treaties not only establish rights
  and obligations of nations, but also create
  rights for individuals.

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Treaty Effect in the U.S.

• Article VI of the U.S. Constitution Treaties,
  like federal statutes, are the supreme law of
  the land, and are binding on all judges
  Meaning treaties statutes have the same legal
  effect one can supersede or abrogate the other.

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I. Treaty Process

• Adoption Nations conclude their treaty
  negotiations and agree on a treatys text.
• Signature Representatives of participating
  nations sign or initial a treaty. NOTE Today,
  signature often does not equal consent of a
  nation to be legally bound by a treaty.

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II. Treaty Process

• Ratification Definitive consent to be bound.
  Applies to nations that negotiated the treaty and
  signed the text.
• 1. International component Treaty text
  often requires an exchange of ratification
  instruments among contracting nations, or a
  deposit of ratification instruments with a
  depository.
• 2. Domestic component A Nations municipal
  rules apply.

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III. Treaty Process

• Accession Consent to be bound. This principle
  applies to nations that did not originally
  negotiate and sign the treaty, but now wish to
  abide by the agreement.
• NOTE A treaty often specifies the means by which
  nations may accede to the agreement. Nations
  will have their own domestic constitutional rules
  on accession.

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Questions to Ask When Beginning your Treaty
Research

• Is the U.S. a party to the treaty?
• Is it a bilateral treaty (b/n only two
  countries), or are there more signatories
  (multilateral)?
• Is the treaty still in force? Has it been
  amended?
• Are you trying to determine whether a treaty even
  exists, rather than trying to find one you
  already know about?
• Austs Modern Treaty Law Practice (KZ1301.A93
  2000).

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Typical Steps in Research of a US Treaty

• Finding the authoritative text of the treaty.
• Determining whether it is in force with what
  parties and reservations.
• Interpreting the treaty, including its
  legislative history judicial interpretations.
• Verifying updating its current status.

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Research Guides

• ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for
  International Law Treaties - http//www.asil.org/
  resource/treaty1.htm .
• Marci Hoffman, Researching U.S. Treaties and
  Agreements - http//www.llrx.com/features/ustreaty
  .htm .
• Lyonette Louis-Jacques, Fundamentals of Treaty
  Research U.S. and Non-U.S. - http//www.lib.uchic
  ago.edu/llou/treaties.html .
• Stefanie Weigmann, Researching Non-U.S. Treaties
  - http//www.llrx.com/features/non_ustreaty.htm.

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History of the Forms of Publication for Intl Law

• Until 1950, treaties appeared regularly after
  proclamation in volumes of the Statutes at Large.
• Beginning in 1950, treaties and other executive
  agreements have been published in a separate
  chronological series, called the U.S. Treaties
  Other Intl Agreements (U.S.T.).
• Prior to publication in U.S.T., treaties are
  published in slip form in the Treaties and Other
  International Acts Series (TIAS).

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Finding a Treaty Before Publication

• Before ratification publication in TIAS, the
  text of a treaty or agreement is usually issued
  on the date of signing in a Dept of State press
  release early source Senate Treaty Docs..
• Department of State Bulletin (http//www.state.gov
  /press/).
• Senate Treaty Actions - http//www.senate.gov/page
  layout/legislative/one_item_and_teasers/trty_act.h
  tm
• Treaty Actions (Dept of State)-
  http//www.state.gov/s/l/c3428.htm .

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Other Sources of Treaty Publication

• International Legal Materials (ILM) (ASIL)(Law
  Per./HeinOnline).
• U.S.C./U.S.C.A. print important treaties
  following relevant statutory provisions (also,
  annotated code provides annotations of
  decisions).
• U.S.C.S. includes treaties in an
  administrative rules of procedure volume.

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For Treaty Research Before 1950 (Retrospective
Treaty Coverage)

• Bevans, Treaties Other International Agreements
  of the United States (1776-1949).
• Compilations of Treaties in Statutes at Large
  (v.8, v.18, v.64).
• Yales Avalon Project (http//www.yale.edu/lawweb/
  avalon/avalon.htm ). Multilaterals Page-
  http//www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/intdip/usmulti/m
  ultimen.htm .

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Questions Answered by Treaty Indexes?

• Who are the treaty parties?
• Is the treaty in force?
• What are, or where can one find, RUDs.

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Need to Know More Than a Treatys Text Working
Papers, Reservations, Understandings, and
Declarations (RUDs)

• Treatys Working Papers Legislative History,
  drafts, drafting history, travaux preparatoires
  (research guides treatises might provide).
• RUDs- When a nation-state signs, ratifies, or
  accedes to a treaty, the nation-state may make a
  unilateral reservation to exclude, or to change
  the legal effect of, certain treaty provisions.
  See Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, May
  23, 1969, art. 2, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331, 333.
• Additionally, when a nation-state signs,
  ratifies, or accedes to a treaty, the
  nation-state may declare the policy(ies) that the
  nation-state intends to follow in applying the
  treaty. Henkin, L., FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE U.S.
  CONST. 180-84.

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Key Treaty Indexes and Finding Tools at Marquette

• Treaties in Force (TIF) (U.S. Dept of State,
  1950- )(KZ235.A326). Online - http//www.state.gov
  /s/l/c8455.htm.
• A Guide to the United States Treaties in Force
  (Kavass Sprudzs, 1982- )(KZ235.A327).
• United States Treaty Index (Kavass,1991-)
  (KZ235.A325).
• Current Treaty Index (Kavass Sprudz,1982-)
  (KZ235.A325).
• TIARA US Treaties Index (Oceana Quick Index is
  free). (http//www.oceanalaw.com/).
• CCH Congressional Index (USGPO, 1873-)
  (KF35.C71).

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I. Full-Text Sources for Treaty Research at
Marquette Law

• Treaties Other International Acts of the United
  States of America (H.Miller ed.,
  KZ235.32.T74)(1776-1863).
• Treaties, Conventions, International Acts,
  Protocols, and Agreements Between the USA and
  Other Powers (Malloy ed., KZ235.T74)(1776-1937).
• Treaties and Other International Agreements of
  the U.S. (Bevans, ed., KZ235.A231)(1776-1949).
• Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  (TIAS) (Dept of State, KZ235.3.U55)(1945-date).

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II. Full-text sources for Treaty Research at
Marquette Law

• Statutes at Large (Stat.)(USGPO,
  KF50.U52)(1776-1950).
• United States Treaties and Other International
  Agreements (U.S.T.)(USPGO, KZ235.3.U55)(1950-prese
  nt).
• Heins U.S. Treaties and Other Intl Agreements
  Current Service (USGPO, KZ235.H45)(1990-present)(m
  icrofiche).
• TIARA-U.S. Treaties Researcher Database
  (OCEANA)(1783-present).

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III. Full-text sources for Treaty Research at
Marquette Law

• (9) CIS Index to Publications of the United
  States Congress (CIS, law microfiche)(1970-present
  ).
• (10) International Legal Materials (ASIL, law
  periodicals)(1962-present).
• (11) Senate Treaty Documents (USGPO,
  KF45.T734-microfiche)(1981-present).
• (12) Senate Executive Reports (USGPO,
  KF30.9-microfiche)(99th Congress- ).
• (13) Lexis (U.S. Treaties) Westlaw (USTREATIES).

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Other Sources for Treaty Research (Worldwide
Scope)

• United Nations Treaty Series (U.N.T.S.)(1946-prese
  nt), (Microfiche,KZ172.T73)(http//untreaty.un.org
  /ENGLISH/series/simpleunts.asp ).
• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the
  Secretary-General (http//untreaty.un.org/ENGLISH/
  bible/englishinternetbible/bible.asp ).
• Rohns World Treaty Index (KZ173.R64)(1900-1980).
  
• The Major International Treaties of the
  Twentieth Century (KZ173.G7451).

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Regional International Organization Collections
of Treaties

• European Union Law Reporter (KJE949.C655).
• Lexis (CELEX-EU, 1951-present) Westlaw
  (EU-TREATIES, 1951-present).
• EUEUR-Lex (Europa) http//europa.eu.int/eur-lex
  /en/search/search_treaties.html .
• European Treaty Series (ETS) http//conventions.
  coe.int/Treaty/EN/cadreprincipal.htm .
• Organization of American States (OAS)
  http//www.oas.org .
• World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII)
  http//www.worldlii.org/catalog/2266.html .

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When the U.S. is not a party to the treaty

• Bowman Harris, Multilateral Treaties Index and
  Current Status (Ref.KZ118.B68.M85.1984).
• Index to Multilateral Treaties (KZ118.H35 1965)
  (16th c.-1960).
• Rohns World Treaty Index (KZ173.R64).
• United Nations Treaty Series (Online and
  KZ172.T73).
• Most commonwealth countries have a treaty series
  similar to U.S. E.g. Great Britain Treaty Series,
  Australian Treaties Library (http//www.austlii.ed
  u.au/au/other/dfat/.

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Determining the Current Status of a Treaty

• Treaty Actions (Dept of State)
  http//www.state.gov/s/l/c3428.htm
• Thomas http//thomas.loc.gov/home/treaties/treati
  es.htm .
• Dept of State/Treaty Affairs [phone].
• UN Treaties http//untreaty.un.org/ENGLISH/bible/
  englishinternetbible/bible.asp .
• UN Chronicle (Online via Proquest, 1996-)
• Treaty Section at UN [phone].

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Citation Form for Treaties

• Bluebook Rule 21.4 covers citation form for
  treaties.
• NOTE When the U.S. is a party to a multilateral
  treaty, Rule 21.4.5(a)(ii) requires citations to
  both a U.S. treaty source and a source published
  by an intergovernmental organization.

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Additional Internet Sources

• The Tufts Multilaterals Project -
  http//fletcher.tufts.edu/multilaterals.html .
• Thomas http//thomas.loc.gov/home/treaties/treat
  ies.htm provides the text of treaties (104th
  Congress-) and information on the status of
  treaties.
• United Nations Treaty Collection
  http//untreaty.un.org .
• The World Bank Law Library - http//www4.worldbank
  .org/legal/law_library/treaties.htm .