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Professor Ku's primary research interest is the relationship of international law to constitutional law. He has also conducted academic research on a wide range of topics including international dispute resolution, international criminal law, and China's relationship with international law. He teaches courses such as U.S. constitutional law, U.S. foreign affairs law, transnational law, and international trade and business law. Since 2014, he has served as the faculty director of international programs, overseeing Hofstra Law's study abroad, exchange and LL.M. programs. Professor Ku also teaches Constitutional Law in our online degree programs: Master of Laws in American Law and Master of Arts in American Legal Studies. He has also been selected as the John DeWitt Gregory Research Scholar and as a Hofstra Law Research Fellow. He is a member of the American Law Institute.
He is the co-author, with John Yoo, of Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order (Oxford University Press 2012). He also has published more than 40 law review articles, book chapters, symposia contributions, and essays. He has given dozens of academic lectures and workshops at major universities and conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia.
He co-founded the leading international law blog Opinio Juris, which is read daily by thousands worldwide. He is also a contributing editor to Lawfare, a leading blog analyzing national security issues. His essays and op-eds have been published in major news publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and NYTimes.com. He has been frequently interviewed for television news programs and quoted in print and electronic media. He has also signed or submitted amicus briefs to national and international courts and served as an expert witness in both domestic and international proceedings.
Before joining the Hofstra Law faculty, Professor Ku served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as an Olin Fellow and Lecturer in Law at the University of Virginia Law School. Professor Ku also practiced as an associate at the New York City law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in litigation and arbitration arising out of international disputes. He has been a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary Marshall- Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia; a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, China; and a Taiwan Fellow at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a member of the New York Bar and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
Curriculum Vitae
Publications
Law Reviews
Kiobel and the Surprising Death of Universal Jurisdiction Under the Alien Tort Statute, 107 AM. J. INT'L L. 835 (2013).
The People's Republic of China and the Enforcement of ICSID Awards, 6 CONTEMPORARY ASIA ARBITRATION JOURNAL 31 (Spring 2013).
Globalization and Sovereignty, 31 BERKELEY JOURNAL OF INT'L L. 210 (2013) (with John Yoo).
China and the Future of International Adjudication, 25 MARYLAND J. INT'L L. 154 (2012).
The Limits of Corporate Rights Under International Law, 12 CHI. J. INT'L L 729 (2012).
Globalization and Structure, 53 WM. & MARY L. REV. 431 (2011) (with John Yoo).
The Curious Case of Corporate Liability Under the Alien Tort Statute, 51 VA. J. INT'L L. 353 (2010).
'The Future of Presidential Power Will Resemble the Past,' WHITE HOUSE STUDIES (2010).
Unitary Executive Theory and Exclusive Presidential Powers, 12 U. PENN. J. CONST. L. 615 (2010) (symposium essay).
How System Criminality Could Exacerbate the Weaknesses of International Criminal Law, 8 SANTA CLARA J. OF INT'L L. 365 (2010) (symposium essay).
The Wrongheaded and Dangerous Campaign to Criminalize Good Faith Legal Advice, 42 CASE W. RES. J. INT'LL. 449 (2009) (symposium essay).
The Prospects for the Peaceful Co-existence of Constitutional and International Law, 119 YALE L. J. ONLINE 15 (2009)
Medellin's Clear Statement Rule: A Solution for International Delegations, 77 FORDHAM L. REV. 609 (2008) (symposium essay)
The Crucial Role of the States and Private International Law Treaties: A Model for Accommodating Globalization, 73 MO. L. REV. 1063 (2008) (symposium essay)
Sanchez- Llamas v. Oregon: Stepping Back from the New World Court Order, 11 LEWIS & CLARK L. REV. 17 (2007) (symposium essay)
Do International Criminal Tribunals Deter or Exacerbate Humanitarian Atrocities?, 84 WASH.U. LAW REV. (2007)
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld: The Functional Case for Foreign Affairs Deference to the Executive Branch, 23 CONST. COMMENT. 179 (Summer 2006)
Gubernatorial Foreign Policy, 115 YALE L. J. 2380 (forthcoming 2006) (symposium article)
Ali v. Rumsfeld: Challenging the President's Power to Interpret Customary International Law, 38 CASE WESTERN RES. INT'L L. J. 371 (2006) (symposium essay)
International Delegations and the New World Court Order, 81 WASH. L. REV. 1 (2006).
Structural Conflicts in Judicial Interpretations of Customary International Law, 45 SANTA CLARA L. REV. 101 (2005).
The Third Wave: The Alien Tort Statute and the War on Terrorism, 19 EMORY INT'L L. REV. 205 (2005).
Beyond Formalism in Foreign Affairs: A Functional Approach to the Alien Tort Statute, 2004 SUP. CT. REV. 153 (with John Yoo).
Treaties as Laws: A Defense of the Last in Time Rule, 80 IND. L. J. 319 (2005).
The State of New York Does Exist: How States Control Compliance with International Law, 82 N.C. L. REV. 457 (2004).
Customary International Law in State Courts, 42 VA. J. INT'L L. 265 (2001).
The Delegation of Federal Powers to International Organizations: New Problems with Old Solutions, 85 MINN. L. REV. 71 (2000).
Other Publications
"Why Constitutional Rights Litigation Should Not Follow the Flag", National Security Law Report, Volume 28, No. 2 (July 2006).
"Is There an Exclusive Commander-in-Chief Power?," YALE L. J. (THE POCKET PART), March 2006
"Treaties Shouldn't Trump Law," Houston Chronicle (March 11, 2006)
"Treaties Shouldn't Trump U.S. Law," Los Angeles Times B13 (March 8, 2006)
Writ, FINDLAW.COM, "Choosing Between Constitutional and International Law: Why the U.S. Had Good Reason to Ignore the Recent World Court Order," February 11, 2003.