Rutgers Law professor appointed to American Journal of International Law's Board of Editors

Jorge Contesse, a professor at the Rutgers Law School, was recently appointed as a member of the American Journal of International Law's Board of Editors. 

The American Journal of International Law (AJIL) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal that has existed since 1907. Academics and professionals submit essays, reviews, editorial remarks and updates on recent advancements in public and private international law and foreign relations law, to the journal.

Contesse spoke with The Daily Targum about his journey at Rutgers Law School, joining in 2013 after his previous experience as an assistant professor and director of Diego Portales Law School's Human Rights Center in Chile. He said he grew up in an authoritarian Chile and witnessed a number of human rights violations committed by law enforcement.

"I decided to go to law school to do something about it, although I didn't know what that meant," he said. "Once in law school, I was drawn to the work of its Human Rights Program, which years later, I ended up joining and ultimately directing."

Contesse also said he has litigated cases in Chile, served as co-counsel in front of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the first case regarding sexual orientation and was an expert witness in a case about Indigenous leaders in Chile being affected by anti-terrorism laws. In addition, he said that he has written reports for the United Nations Committee against Torture, of which he is an expert member.

Furthermore, Contesse said he was thrilled when he received the news about his appointment as an editor. Following his nomination by three senior colleagues, he was then voted on by the Board of Editors.

Contesse is a part of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1906. The ASIL promotes international law scholarship and education with its events, publications and research projects.

He said that he has been involved with the Society for a while, working as co-chair of both the Society's Latin America Interest Group and the 2022 Research Forum of the Society's Midyear Meeting.

"I hope to bring my expertise and my experience, especially as a Latin American international lawyer, to help the Society, in general, and the Journal, in particular, to reach a broader audience," Contesse said.

Contesse's contributions are noted in the Harvard International Law Journal, the International Journal of Constitutional Law and the Yale Journal of International Law, among others. Also, he has written publications involving his field such as his recent works "International Law Scholarship in Latin America" in 2024, "Authority and Dissent in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights" in 2022 and "The Rule of Advice in International Human Rights Law" in 2021.

Contesse is currently working on two scholarships: The Precedent and the End of Inter Partes Effect in Latin American Constitutional Law and Domestic Law in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He said that it is an honor to have been nominated and elected to the Board of Editors and has a lot of plans in the works at AJIL as well as Rutgers.

"Since I joined the (Rutgers Law School), in 2013, I have developed several international law initiatives: I founded the Center for Transnational Law, helped establish the Rutgers International Law and Human Rights Journal, have co-developed a new course on international advocacy and try to showcase the amazing international faculty that we have," Contesse said. "It is a good time to study international law at Rutgers."