ILSA News

ILSA has put together a short video walking you through everything you need to know to avoid getting memorial penalties. Continue reading “Guide to Memorial Penalties” →

With Jessup 2025 National and Friendly Rounds right around the corner, ILSA has enlisted the help of some Jessup veterans to walk judges through the do’s and don’ts of deliberation and giving feedback in these two videos. Continue reading “Jessup Judge’s guide to Deliberation and Feedback” →

The International Law Students Association is pleased to announce the launching of the ILSA / Hamilton Lugar International Law Moot Court Competition.

The moot is a simulation of oral argument before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Teams will argue both sides in a fictional dispute between two countries. Colleges and universities can enter up to five teams of two students apiece.

The Competition is open to undergraduate students in the United States. It is co-hosted and co-administered by the Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies at Indiana University.

The Competition is based upon the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, which ILSA has administered annually since 1959. Now in its 66th year, the Jessup Competition is the largest competition in the world for law students, with more than 800 schools in 106 countries registered this year.

The Competition will take place 17-20 April 2025 at Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, IN. The Registration fee is $250 for the first team registered from a given school, and $200 for each team thereafter. Spots are limited.

Click here to learn more.

Back by popular demand, we’ve created a video summary of the Jessup 2025 Problem: the Case Concerning the Naegea Sea. Big shout out to Stephany Corzantes for making this a reality.

The contents of this video should not be considered as part of the Jessup Problem and does not alter it in any way. No one should rely on this video as a reliable source of fact for the Jessup 2025 Problem.

ILSA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. Cynthia Lichtenstein. Cynthia was a long-time member of ILSA’s Board of Directors and its Treasurer, as well as a Jessup coach and sometime Regional Administrator. She was a mentor to generations of law students, as well as several decades’ worth of ILSA Executive Office staff. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Cynthia served as President of the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) and as a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law.

Our hearts go out to Cynthia’s countless students, mentees, and loved ones.

As teams turn their attention towards drafting their memorials, we would like to remind teams of Rule 5.17 – Abbreviations (including Acronyms and Initialisms) which states: Continue reading “List of Approved Acronyms as set out in Rule 5.17(b)” →

Important: For teams who wish to obtain access to Jus Mundi’s research resources for Jessup 2025, you MUST register your team and team members on jessup.ilsa.org AND team members MUST attend one of the mandatory training sessions using the same email address.

There are ONLY two remaining scheduled trainings: Continue reading “Reminder: Important Information on how to access Jus Mundi for Jessup 2025” →

The Jessup 2025 Corrections and Clarifications is now available. You can download it as a docx or pdf. Additionally, we have created a combined Jessup 2025 Problem with Corrections and Clarifications, which you can also download as a docx or a pdf.

Rusty Dalferes was passionate about furthering the “Spirit of the Jessup.” In his 15 years as the International Rounds Judge Coordinator, he witnessed first-hand the positive impact our judges have. He would often note that there were many judges around the globe who would have been valuable members of the International Rounds benches. Further, he recognized that judges who experienced the International Rounds were better champions for the rule of law and were motivated to help promote it in their own countries. He also recognized, however, that the time and financial burden of traveling to Washington could be an insurmountable hurdle for many. In honor of these principles, and in memory of our good friend who left us too soon, the Rusty Dalferes Memorial Fund was established in 2022 to help defray travel costs for dedicated, skilled Jessup judges to attend the White & Case International Rounds.

If you wish to be considered for selection as a 2025 Dalferes Laureate, please complete the application form. The deadline is December 9, 2024.

ILSA has put together a Jessup Coaching Guide. This document is intended to assist team coaches, in particular new coaches, by setting out some “best practices” regarding coaching in the Jessup Competition.