News

2024 Apr 22, 2024

PHRGE Announces Its Summer 2024 Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its summer scholars, Camillah Agak LLM ’24, Elena Kuran ’25 and Alison Ricci ’25.

Apr 14, 2024

Abortion Bans Can Doom Autocrats. Look at Poland.

The Washington Post cites Professor Martha Davis’ co-authored article for the American Constitution Society, ”A Global View of U.S. Backsliding on Democracy and Reproductive Rights.”

Apr 11, 2024

Professor Martha Davis Joins Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Grants Pass Case

Professor Martha Davis, an internationally recognized expert on economic and social rights, has joined with a group of leading law professors to submit an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Gloria Johnson, a case that will determine whether, under the U.S. Constitution, a local government can make it a crime to involuntarily live outside and unsheltered when adequate shelter is not available.

Mar 20, 2024

Massachusetts’s High Court Upholds Novel Local Restriction on Tobacco Purchases

“While preemption law varies from state to state and even law to law, the Brookline innovation is one that may inspire communities to devise new ways to overcome state preemption in other areas that threaten public health and involve age limits on purchases, such as firearm sales,” writes Professor Martha Davis in her latest piece for the Brennan Center's State Court Report.

Mar 13, 2024

Hawaii’s Midwives Challenge Law Criminalizing Traditional Birthing Practices

“The challenge pending in Hawaii provides a timely occasion for judicial review of the current medically oriented approach to midwifery regulation,” writes Professor Martha Davis in a piece for the State Court Report.

Feb 15, 2024

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Decision Bans Life Without Parole Sentences for People Under Age 21

In a Human Rights at Home blog, Noelle Gulick ’24 addresses the Mass. SJC’s recent ruling that anyone under the age of 21 cannot be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole: “This decision is a step towards limiting the large number of life without parole sentences that are given in the United States, protecting the human rights of people facing these sentences, and to the United States following international legal norms.”

Jan 31, 2024

Davis a Finalist for Key UN Position on Democratic and Equitable World Order

Professor Martha Davis, an internationally recognized expert on human rights, is a finalist for a position as the UN independent expert on a democratic and equitable world order.

Jan 30, 2024

What Is It Like To Argue a Case Before the Supreme Court?

Professor Martha Davis and Professor Emeritus Michael Meltsner, litigators who have argued before the Supreme Court on numerous occasions, reflect on their decades of experience, and how the court has evolved.

Jan 25, 2024

PHRGE Testimony Calls for Massachusetts to Adopt Safe Communities Act

For the second time in two years, Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) submitted testimony to the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in support of the proposed Safe Communities Act (S.1510/H.2288), which seeks to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents by limiting the involvement of local law enforcement officers in federal immigration enforcement.

Jan 18, 2024

Human Rights Experts Favor Creating a Human Rights Institution

During a recent ABA webinar titled “A National Human Rights Institution for the U.S.: Why Don't We Have One?,” Professor Martha Davis and her co-panelists agreed that a presidential commission should study the need for such an institution.

2023 Dec 09, 2023

PHRGE Announces Its Spring 2024 Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its spring scholars, Amanda Flores ’24 and Michelle Fong ’24. 

Dec 07, 2023

New Mexico Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on New Anti-Abortion Tactic

“For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade shifted the focus of both pro-choice and anti-abortion activists to federal law, which kept the controversies relatively contained,” writes Professor Martha Davis in a piece for the State Court Report. “Now, post-Dobbs., the war is again being waged in full force at every level of government.”

Dec 06, 2023

Next Generation of Women in Law Express Gratitude for Late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

Watch: In the wake of Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's passing, Professor Martha Davis joined GBH's Greater Boston, to discuss her historic place on the court, her tenure, the legacy she leaves behind and the potential for today's court to dismantle it.

Nov 27, 2023

Professor Martha Davis Spearheads Amicus Brief in Texas Abortion Ban Case

A group of the nation’s preeminent law professors and legal scholars, including Professor Martha Davis, has submitted an amicus brief in Texas v. Zurawski, a case challenging Texas’ abortion ban.

Nov 03, 2023

PHRGE Celebrates Impact on UN Human Rights Committee’s Observations on Water Rights

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) is claiming meaningful success in the just-released UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations on water rights following PHRGE’s presentation of a report on the discriminatory nature of water access in the United States.

Oct 26, 2023

New Report by PHRGE Looks at Response of Massachusetts Municipalities to Trump-Era Immigration Enforcement Policies

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) has released a new report, “Safe Communities in Massachusetts: The Response of Massachusetts Municipalities to the Immigration Enforcement Policies of the Trump Administration.”

Oct 12, 2023

‘It’s Hard To Conceive of This as Anything Other Than Like a Death March’: Local Experts Decry Forced Displacement of Gazans

Professor Zinaida Miller comments for The Boston Globe.

Sep 13, 2023

New PHRGE Report Examines Inequities in Access to Clean and Affordable Drinking Water in the United States

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) has partnered with Food & Water Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights and community members of Jackson, Mississippi, to submit a coalition report on drinking water access and affordability to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Aug 29, 2023

Northeastern Law Receives Top Rankings for Public Interest, Health Law and Human Rights

In recognition of its national leadership in preparing students for public interest lawyering, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 2 for public interest in the 2023 “back to school” issue of preLaw magazine. The magazine also awarded the school “A+” grades in health law and human rights.

Aug 16, 2023

What the Landmark Climate Ruling in Montana Means for New York

“The result in Montana is going to give additional momentum to efforts in New York and will be a case that New Yorkers can cite to support a more aggressive enforcement of the green amendment,” Professor Martha Davis tells The City.

Aug 13, 2023

PHRGE Announces Its Fall 2023 Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its fall scholars, Julia Canney ’25 and Alina Carrillo ’25. 

Aug 07, 2023

The Allegations Against Lizzo, Briefly Explained

“The sort of workplace described by the plaintiffs lends itself to harassment and exploitation,” Professor Martha Davis tells Vox. “In this case, for example, there were not clear lines between employees’ own time and their jobs while on the tour.”

Jun 13, 2023

Montana Youth Case Puts Legal Right to a Safe Climate on Trial

Regardless of the outcome, Professor Martha Davis tells the JD Journal the landmark Montana climate trial will strengthen advocates’ efforts to establish the right to sue under state environmental provisions.

Jun 13, 2023

Legal Right to Safe Climate Goes on Trial in Montana Youth Case

“What’s happening in the states here, what’s happening in Montana is really part of a very broad movement of youth, especially, but also people that are being affected, to say it’s really up to government to take this more seriously and show us what they’re doing to try to mitigate,” Professor Martha Davis tells Bloomberg Law.

May 15, 2023

‘We need your big heart.’ Northeastern University School of Law Celebrates its 2023 Graduates

“We need your big heart, your experience and your audacious dreams,” Corey Thomas, CEO of Rapid7, told the class of 2023 during his rousing commencement speech on Friday, May 12. Northeastern Global News reports on the celebrations!

May 03, 2023

New PHRGE Report Examines U.S. Initiatives to Promote Water Policy Transparency

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE), has released the latest publication in its series on water and human rights in the U.S., “Data on Tap: Realizing Human Rights through Water Utility Reporting Laws. This briefing paper examines U.S. initiatives to promote water policy transparency through the lens of the human right to information. 

Apr 22, 2023

In Conversation with Prof. Martha Davis

In celebration of Earth Day 2023, the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights Policy published this conversation with Professor Martha Davis on Environmental Human Rights and Water Security. "I would urge that citizens, non profits, and regional organizations focus on establishing legal structures that will shore up equality protections in the environmental arena," said Davis.

Apr 20, 2023

The Greening of State Constitutions

Professor Martha Davis' new piece in the Brennan Center for Justice, "The Greening of State Constitutions," focuses on how courts play an increasingly important role in enforcing states’ environmental rights amendments. "The difficulty of amending the federal Constitution and the current Supreme Court’s use of history to limit rights can leave it unable to speak to contemporary challenges like environmental crises. By expanding the justiciability of environmental rights, states’ Green Amendments are starting to fill that gap," said Davis.

Apr 15, 2023

Professor Brook Baker Calls for Transparency in Pandemic Accord Talks

Professor Brook Baker comments on the negotiation process of a global pandemic preparedness World Health Organization (WHO) agreement. "The key question here is whether all members of the global society should have clear insight and input into such a consequential document", Baker told The Lancet.

Apr 10, 2023

Should Biden Ignore a Texas Judge’s Ruling on the Abortion Pill?

Professor Wendy Parmet, faculty director of Northeastern Law's Center for Health Policy and Law, and Professor Martha Davis, co-director of the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, comment on a Texas federal judges' decision to reverse the Food and Drug Administration’s decades long approval of mifepristone—a pill used in abortions and to manage miscarriages—in Northeastern Global News.

Apr 03, 2023

European Union Drug Pricing Proposal for the Pandemic Treaty Generates Pushback

Professor Brook Baker comments on the pharmaceutical industry's arbitrary approach to provide medicines to poor and middle-income countries, because it can lead to higher prices and fails to address calls for technology transfers. “What people have been asking for is technology sharing and licensing rights to expand manufacturing capacity” said Baker in STAT News, “This (proposal) is pretty much leaving company intellectual property alone and relying on voluntary measures.”

Mar 28, 2023

Professor Martha Davis’ Co-authored, Pathbreaking Human Rights Advocacy in the United States Third Edition Now Available

West Academic has published the third edition of Human Rights Advocacy in the United States, the only law school casebook focused on human rights advocacy in the United States. “We hope that this will be an important resource for students and teachers looking to engage with the full scope of human rights tools available to US advocates,” said Davis, a faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy.

Mar 22, 2023

PHRGE Celebrates World Water Day With Fact Sheets on Human Right to Water

For World Water Day 2023, the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) collaborated with the University of Miami Human Rights Clinic and the Indigenous Safe Housing Center on two new, accessible fact sheets on the human right to water.

Mar 07, 2023

Pulling the Plug on Water Shut-offs

Sanea Lamas ’24 calls for the fundamental human right to water in a new opinion piece that supports Mass. legislation to advance water equity through utility reporting requirements, including reporting on the number of water shut offs. “It’s time to hold the utilities accountable and implement permanent solutions to prevent shut-offs,” writes Lamas in CommonWealth.

Feb 28, 2023

The Oldest State Court Makes a Case for Embracing Change

"Under the Massachusetts Constitution, history does not act as a straitjacket to preclude expanded protections for previously marginalized groups, such as women or minorities," writes Professor Martha Davis in her latest blog for the Brennan Center for Justice.

Feb 14, 2023

Professor Martha Davis Named Chair of Expert Committee for the HumanRight2Water

Martha Davis, Northeastern Law Professor and Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights Policy has been named chair of the Expert Committee for the HumanRight2Water (HR2W). This committee is comprised of expert members of HR2W with a high-profile academic background related to water governance issues and appointed by the Board.

Feb 08, 2023

Getting Comparative Law Right in State Courts

"As abortion issues play out in state courts, state court judges will need to get comparative law right and identify the flaws in findings like those in the Mississippi law," writes Professor Martha Davis in the Brennan Center for Justice. "The fact is that post-Dobbs, it is the draconian abortion restrictions adopted in many states that are the international outliers."

Feb 03, 2023

Recognizing the Human Right to a Healthy Environment: Annotated Bibliography

Solène Kerisit, a Master’s Degree student at Sciences Po Law School, co-wrote an article with Professor Martha Davis in the Northeastern University Law Review while working at Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE). This article follows the recognition by the General Assembly of the United Nations of the right to a healthy environment as a human right and addresses the development of "Green Amendments" in the US.

Jan 09, 2023

What Happens When State and Local Laws Conflict

Professor Martha Davis wrote an op-ed for the Brennan Center for Justice Center analyzing three recent cases involving abortion, gun control and public health, where state preemption principles played a key role.

Jan 05, 2023

Now Available in Paperback! Professor Martha Davis’ Research Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty

The book explores the nexus between human rights, poverty and inequality as a critical lens for understanding and addressing key challenges of the coming decades.

Jan 04, 2023

Supreme Court Rulings Will Affect Higher Ed in 2023, Northeastern Experts Say

Professors Martha Davis and Dan Urman and offer their views on major decisions expected by the Supreme Court on affirmative action and student-loan forgiveness over the next six months.

2022 Dec 16, 2022

PHRGE Announces Its Spring Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its spring scholars, Princess Diaz-Bîrca ’23, Emma Nyabisi Onsongo LLM ’23 and Isabella Ulm ’24.

Nov 29, 2022

The Rise of Human Rights Cities

Where do universal human rights begin? Professor Martha Davis joined the Carr Center’s Justice Matters podcast, to speak about local movements and human rights cities.

Nov 17, 2022

Professor Martha Davis Named a Fellow of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

Professor Martha Davis, an internationally recognized expert on human rights, has been appointed as a 2022-2023 fellow of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

Nov 11, 2022

Ambassador Melanne Verveer Confirmed as Special Presenter at Brown Forum | Women in the Law Conference

Melanne Verveer, director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and former US ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, will deliver a special presentation at Northeastern Law’s 15th annual Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference on May 5, 2023. 

Oct 20, 2022

PHRGE Marks “Imagine a Day Without Water” with Report on Ways to Assist Renters

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy has released the latest publication in its series on water and human rights in the US, “How Five Creative Water Utilities Are Assisting “Hard-to-Reach” Renters as Water Rates Rise.”

Oct 01, 2022

Professor Martha Davis Contributor to Winner of European Society of International Law Collaborative Book Prize

Professor Martha Davis, an internationally recognized expert on human rights, contributed a chapter to the winner of the inaugural European Society of International Law Collaborative Book Prize. 

Aug 19, 2022

Know Better, Do Better: 2022 U.S. CERD Review

“The six days that we spent at the United Nations were transformative, illuminating and empowering,” writes Jennifer Wakefield ’23, a current PHRGE co-op student who recently attended the U.S. CERD Review in Geneva alongside Professor Martha Davis.

Aug 17, 2022

Reflections on the U.S. CERD Review, 2022

For those who attended the UN’s periodic review of U.S. compliance with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racism (CERD) last week, “Geneva was a place for imagining an America where human rights and racial justice are firmly enshrined and respected,” writes Professor Martha Davis in a blog for Human Rights at Home.

Aug 16, 2022

PHRGE Announces Its Fall Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its fall scholars, Tiffany Wang ’24 and Lauren Yamaguch ’24

Aug 03, 2022

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2022 Issue

“Shooting Pains,” “Rethinking Business As Usual,” “Active Duty” and many more stories await readers in the summer 2022 issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Read it online now!

Jul 15, 2022

PHRGE Submits Shadow Reports to UN Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) has submitted two shadow reports to the UN Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which will be reviewing U.S. compliance with the Race Convention in August.

Jul 15, 2022

Northeastern Law and History Design Interactive Map for UN to Ensure Indigenous Religious Rights

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) and NuLawLab has collaborated with the Northeastern History Department to design a unique resource for the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief: an interactive map of indigenous religious rights worldwide.

Jul 12, 2022

US Abortion Restrictions Are Unlikely to Influence International Trends, Which Are Largely Becoming More Liberal

”Given the strength of the global women’s movement and the robust defense of abortion rights in most countries, Dobbs’ relevance may prove isolated to the U.S.,” writes Professor Martha Davis in a piece for The Conversation. “It’s not likely a signal that the worldwide trend of expanding abortion rights is reversing.”

Jul 07, 2022

Karl Klare: The Person Who Helped Us See the Tree for the Wood

The Honorable Albie Sachs, retired justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, has penned a special tribute to Professor Karl Klare: "It was he who introduced the term transformative constitutionalism into South African discourse."

Jul 01, 2022

Northeastern Professor Says, ‘In the End, Roe and Casey Will Be Reaffirmed'

Professors Martha Davis and Jeremy Paul tell News@Northeastern the anti-abortion cause, despite its institutional foothold on the Supreme Court, will diminish in strength given time—and that reproductive rights will, in a long drawn-out political and legal struggle, win out.

Jun 29, 2022

What Else is “Egregiously Wrong”?

In her latest piece for the Human Rights at Home Blog, Professor Martha Davis addresses Justice Alito’s dismissal of an equal protection challenge to abortion restrictions.

Jun 25, 2022

Roe Reversal, Ending National Access to Abortion, Makes US an Outlier Among Developed Nations

Professor Martha Davis tells PolitiFact that the lack of uniformity in abortion laws sets the U.S. apart from other countries: “Most developed countries have a national standard for access to abortion or consistency across subnational entities rather than wide variations in laws amongst states.”

May 23, 2022

‘Stay in the Race.’ The Honorable Victoria Roberts ’76 Inspires Northeastern Law Graduates To Pursue Justice

The Honorable Victoria Roberts ’76 delivered a rousing commencement speech at Friday’s ceremony and urged the class of 2022 not to let “the challenges of practicing law ever defeat you.”

May 16, 2022

As Poor Nations Seek Covid Pills, Officials Fear Repeat of AIDS Crisis

“Both Merck and Pfizer have reserved for themselves all the high-income countries and virtually all of the upper-middle-income countries and even some lower-middle-income countries,” Professor Brook Baker ’76, policy analyst for Health GAP, tells The New York Times. Professor Baker recently submitted a legal brief in support of the Dominican Republic’s petition to allow the distribution of the generic version of Paxlovid.

May 12, 2022

PHRGE Announces Its Summer Scholars

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its summer scholars, Rowan Laidlaw ’23 and Edward Rickford ’24.

May 09, 2022

Baker Contributes to Complaint Citing International Human Rights Law Violations in COVID Vaccine and Medicines Distribution

Professor Brook Baker ’76 is among the members of an international coalition of human rights groups, public health experts and civil society organizations that submitted inputs and submitted a petition to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) arguing that Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) are in violation of international human rights law by failing to intervene on inequitable and racially discriminatory rollout of COVID vaccines and other healthcare technologies.

May 04, 2022

The Leaked SCOTUS Draft Threatens Contraception and Same-sex Marriage Rights, Too.

The willingness of the conservative justices to take such a brazen stance against Roe v. Wade threatens other rights rooted in the same privacy framework, including contraception and same-sex marriage rights, says Professor Martha Davis.

May 03, 2022

Claudia Pepe ’22 Chosen for Prestigious IJC Fellowship

Claudia Pepe ’22 has been named to the Class of 2022 Justice Fellows by the Immigrant Justice Corp (IJC).

May 01, 2022

The Honorable Victoria Roberts ’76 to Deliver Northeastern Law Commencement Address

The Honorable Victoria Roberts ’76, legal pioneer and senior US District Court judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, will deliver Northeastern University School of Law’s commencement address on Friday, May 20, 2022.

Apr 11, 2022

Professor Davis’ Work on Water Affordability Recognized as Top Cited Article

Congratulations to Professor Martha Davis whose work “An Experiment in Making Water Affordable: Philadelphia's Tiered Assistance Program (TAP),” has been recognized as a #TopCitedArticle in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

Apr 11, 2022

While We Line Up for a Fourth Shot, the World’s Poor Haven’t Gotten Their First 

“People in the U.S. have no greater right to health than people elsewhere in the world,” Professor Brook Baker ’76, senior policy analyst for Health GAP, tells the Los Angeles Times. “We’re all human. Health is a positive good for everyone. Yet we’re living under a monopoly-based system where giant pharmaceutical corporations make billions in profits at the expense of poor people in poor countries who are denied access to life-saving medicines.”

Mar 24, 2022

A Month into the Invasion of Ukraine, Is the Russian Army Becoming Demoralized?

“When you are trying to engage in a military campaign for an extended period of time, being able to maintain morale is very important to unit cohesion,” says Professor Alexandra Meise.

Feb 18, 2022

Can States Preserve Access to Abortion if Roe v. Wade is Overturned?

More state legislatures are mobilizing in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision on an abortion ban in Mississippi, which directly threatens the rights spelled out in Roe v. Wade. Professors Martha Davis and Jeremy Paul weigh in on the latest effort in Vermont.

Feb 07, 2022

PHRGE Submits Testimony in Support of Safe Communities Act

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Right and the Global Economy (PHRGE) recently submitted testimony to the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in support of the proposed Safe Communities Act (H.2418/S.1579), which seeks to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents by limiting state law enforcement’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

Jan 21, 2022

Professor Davis to Brief US Commission on Civil Rights on Water Affordability

Professor Martha Davis, faculty director for Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, will brief the US Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) today at noon about the serious crisis of water affordability in Massachusetts.

2021 Dec 21, 2021

The Unalienable Rights Commission: Dead or Dormant?

“While the Commission on Unalienable Rights is officially dead, human rights attorneys and advocates must keep an eye on developments at Notre Dame,” writes Sandy Recinos ’23 who completed her fall co-op with Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy. “No one should be lulled into thinking that the ill-conceived parts of the Unalienable Rights report will simply go away quietly.”

Dec 03, 2021

Half of Us Could Lose Abortion Access if Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

With a series of so-called “trigger laws” on the books in 21 states and elected officials hostile to abortion in charge of five more, half the country stands to lose access to abortion if the high court overturns Roe v. Wade. And, during oral arguments in a case over a Mississippi law that flies in the face of Roe, it appeared some justices were willing to do just that, say Professors Libby Adler and Martha Davis.

Dec 02, 2021

“39 out of 42 (Countries) in Europe Have More Rstrictive Abortion Laws” Than Mississippi

Commenting for PolitiFact, Professor Martha Davis cautions that the text of any law alone fails to capture the full picture of abortion availability in Europe.

Nov 16, 2021

Debating International Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

In her contribution to Divided We Fall's Civility Without Borders series, Professor Martha Davis argues that ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social, & Cultural Rights (ICESCR) would benefit the United States both domestically and internationally.

Nov 04, 2021

Access to Water is a Human Right. When Will the US Government Agree?

For too long, "the United States has often been on the sidelines during international discussion of water challenges," writes Professor Martha Davis in a piece for WBUR's Cognoscenti.

Oct 20, 2021

Martha F. Davis: The Threat of Inequality: COVID-19, Human Rights, and the Pandora Papers

Oct 19, 2021

Will New Covid Treatments Be as Elusive for Poor Countries as Vaccines?

“Even from a somewhat self-interested perspective, it’s shortsighted and counterproductive not to ensure access to these medicines,” Professor Brook Baker '76, senior policy analyst for Health GAP, tells The New York Times .

Oct 06, 2021

Professor Davis to Receive the 2021 AWRA William R. Boggess Award

Professor Martha Davis has been selected to receive the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) 2021 William R. Boggess Award for her co-authored paper “An Experiment in Making Water Affordable: Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP),”  which was published in the March 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

Oct 04, 2021

Conservatives, Often Wary of Foreign Law, Look Abroad in Abortion Case

Professor Martha Davis, who recently filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade, as part of an effort to block the controversial Mississippi law that limits abortion rights, is quoted in The New York Times: “Many nations, but not all, and not our closest peers, have cutoffs that on paper are pre-viability. But they make very many exceptions that allow abortion much more liberally.”

Sep 24, 2021

Can Roe V. Wade Be Saved? She’s Among a Group Making a Case to the Supreme Court.

Professor Martha Davis joined the fight to preserve access to abortions this week, filing a brief that urges the Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade amid conservative momentum to upend the 1973 ruling. The brief was also signed by Northeastern law professor Margaret Woo.

Sep 22, 2021

With CLEAR Objectives, Northeastern Law Announces New Center for Law, Equity and Race

Today, Northeastern University School of Law launches a new Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), which will bring together the school’s pioneering programs and faculty— long engaged in theoretical and translational research, innovative pedagogy and collaborations with external communities — to address today’s challenges and provide tomorrow’s solutions for the nation’s most complex social challenges.

Aug 31, 2021

Northeastern Law Ranked No. 1 for Public Interest

In recognition of its national leadership in preparing students for public interest lawyering, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 1 for public interest in the 2021 “back to school” issue of preLawmagazine.

Aug 20, 2021

PHRGE Announces Its Fall Fellows

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome its fall fellows, Mackenzie Darling ’22 and Bavani Sridhar ’22.

Aug 19, 2021

A Tribute to Nonnie S. Burnes

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that The Honorable Nonnie S. Burnes ’77-‘78, founder of Northeastern Law's Public Interest Law Scholars Program and a former Trustee of Northeastern and associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, passed away Saturday.

Aug 13, 2021

Webinar: COVID Vaccines for the Few

On July 14, 2021, Professors Brook Baker and Martha Davis joined a panel of experts to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, inequality and vaccinations. The webinar was sponsored by Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and University of Minnesota Law School Human Rights Center.

Aug 11, 2021

Why Resigning Won’t End Cuomo’s Problems

Professors Martha Davis and Rose Zoltek-Jick say civil and criminal charges against Cuomo will likely continue, even after he steps down as governor of New York. Both credit the bravery of the women who came forward under pressure and retaliation for resolving the political scandal.

Jul 22, 2021

PHRGE Releases New Report on Water and Human Rights in the US

Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy has released the latest publication in its series on water and human rights in the US,  “Voluntary Local Reviews and the Human Right to Water.”

Jul 21, 2021

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2021 Issue

Check out the latest issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Features stories include: ‘Fertile Ground,' 'Inching Toward Immunity' and 'Talking 'Bout Evolution.' Read it online today!

Jul 01, 2021

New Book Co-Edited by Professor Davis Explores Impact of COVID-19 on Human Rights

Professor Martha Davis, faculty director for Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy and the NuLawLab, is co-editor of COVID-19 and Human Rights (Routledge, 2021).

May 10, 2021

PHRGE Announces Its Summer Fellows

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome three new appointees, Catalina Carbonell ’21, Huda Khwaja ’21 and A. Tope Tokan-Lawal LLM ’21 to its prestigious fellowship program.

Mar 31, 2021

Professor Davis Co-Edits New Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty

Professor Martha Davis, faculty director for Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy and the NuLawLab, is a co-editor of the newly published Research Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021).

Mar 05, 2021

Professor Davis Named to Advisory Council of Equal Rights Amendment Project

Professor Martha Davis has joined the academic advisory council for the ERA Project, a new law and policy think tank housed at Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.

Feb 05, 2021

PHRGE Announces Its Spring Fellows

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to welcome three new appointees, Catalina Carbonell ’21, Huda Khwaja ’21 and A. Tope Tokan-Lawal LLM ’21 to its prestigious fellowship program.

Jan 20, 2021

Professor Martha Davis and Four Northeastern Law Students Contribute to Mass. SAC Report on Water Affordability

As a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee of the US Commission on Civil Rights, Professor Martha Davis has contributed to a newly-released report on Water Affordability in Massachusetts. Northeastern Law students Nilo Asgari ’22, Linnea Brandt ’22, Liam O'Leary ’20 and Samantha Cardwell '22 also worked on the report.