Chapter 9: Strategic Litigation

CHAPTER 9: STRATEGIC LITIGATION

Companion Website by: Samuel Ellyson, Sydney Ryan, and Allie Fiul

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• More About the Participants
  • Videos Featuring the Participants
• Chapter Study Resources
• Chapter Summary
• General Resources
  • Defining Strategic Litigation
  • Groups Using Strategic Litigation
  • Databases: Human Rights Cases
  • US Human Rights Cases
  • Columbia Human Rights Cases
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
• Resources Prompted by Anton Burkov’s Section
  • Russian Court System
  • European Court of Human Rights
  • Russian Organ Harvesting Case
  • Russian Police Brutality
• Resources Prompted by Carmen Mestizo’s Section
  • Columbian War: Background
  • Columbian War: Women’s Experience
  • Columbian Women’s Activism
  • Columbia: Women’s Rights in Post-War Society
• Resources Prompted by Gaye Sowe’s Section
  • African Institutions: Charters and Protocols
  • The “Landmark” Kilwa Case: Democratic Republic of The Congo
  • Armed Groups: Democratic Republic of The Congo
  • African Women’s Rights
  • African Women’s Rights: Mali Case
  • The Dorothy Njemanze Case: Nigeria
  • The Case of Slavery: Nigeria
  • Non-Discriminatory Education for Girls: Sierra Leone
  • The Cameroon Case
• Resources Prompted by Kathy Roberts’s Section
  • The Alien Tort Statute
  • Somali Background on Cases
  • Somali Cases
  • Transitional Justice
  • Secondary Trauma
• Take Action!
  • United Nations Sessions
  • Human Rights Stakeholders
  • Social Media
• Contribute Resources!

MORE ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:

VIDEOS FEATURING THE PARTICIPANTS:

CHAPTER STUDY RESOURCES:

CHAPTER SUMMARY:

Despite major legal victories, over the past two decades, human rights lawyers and practitioners have come to realize that pursuing legal cases in human rights tribunals is not sufficient and should not be seen in isolation from larger advocacy campaigns. This chapter provides an overview of strategic ligation, with insight into using strategic litigation as a human rights tool within social movements, examining methods that exist for strategic litigation both in and out of the courtroom. The discussants utilize different venues and methods of strategic litigation and social action, sometimes avoiding the courtroom or judicial venue entirely.  These are four incredible examples of using human rights norms to make major advances in human rights at the national and international levels, often in dealing with very difficult contexts. 

This chapter is relevant to other covered topics including social movements, environmental justice, law, and gender discrimination.  

GENERAL RESOURCES:

DEFINING STRATEGIC LITIGATION:

groups using strategic litigation:

databases: human rights cases:

us human rights cases:

columbia human rights cases:

PODCASTS:

VIDEOS:

Resources Prompted by ANTON BURKOV’s SECTION:

russian court system:

european court of human rights:

RUSSIAN ORGAN HARVESTING CASE:

RUSSIAN POLICE BRUTALITY:

Resources Prompted by CARMEN MESTIZO’s SECTION:

columbian war: background:

columbian war: women’s experience:

columbian women activism:

columbia: women’s rights in post-war society:

Resources Prompted by GAYE SOWE’s SECTION:

AFRICAN INSTITUTIONS – CHARTERS AND PROTOCOLS:

THE “LANDMARK” KILWA CASE: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO:

ARMED GROUPS: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO:

AFRICAN WOMEN’S RIGHTS:

AFRICAN WOMEN’S RIGHTS: MALI CASE:

THE DOROTHY NJEMANZE CASE: NIGERIA:

THE CASE OF SLAVERY: NIGERIA:

NON-DISCRIMINATORY EDUCATION FOR GIRLS: SIERRA LEONE:

the cameroon case:

Resources Prompted by KATHY ROBERTS’s SECTION:

THE ALIEN TORT CASE:

somali background on cases:

somali cases:

transitional justice:

Secondary trauma:

take action!

united nations sessions:

human rights stakeholders:

social media: