International Law Hackathon

Georgia Law hosts fourth annual International Law Hackathon, led by Professor Natalia Pires De Vasconcelos

Last month, the University of Georgia School of Law hosted its fourth annual International Law Hackathon, led by Professor Natalia Pires De Vasconcelos.

The International Law Hackathon is one-credit mini-course on a selected topic in international law that concludes with an intensive, day-long collaborative exercise. The theme of this year’s hackathon was the international human rights of incarcerated people, with particular emphasis on their right to health and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law.

Working in five interdisciplinary teams of four, students spent the morning developing creative and persuasive solutions to a complex scenario involving the death of an incarcerated woman following delays in emergency medical care in a U.S. prison. Teams were tasked with designing legal and advocacy strategies to seek accountability, obtain reparations, and promote broader structural reforms, drawing on both international human rights treaties and norms (such as the Mandela Rules, the Bangkok Rules, and the ICCPR) as well as U.S. Eighth Amendment doctrine.

In the afternoon, teams presented their proposals to a distinguished panel of four judges with expertise spanning international law, prison studies, criminal law, and legal theory:

Judges evaluated presentations based on the teams’ ability to mobilize legal frameworks, engage human rights principles, and propose innovative and transformative solutions that make international human rights language relevant to incarcerated people’s rights cases in the United States. The presentations were of exceptionally high quality, and the judges noted the depth, creativity, and rigor across all teams. In fact, selecting first and second place proved challenging: when asked individually, each judge identified different top teams, and all five teams were recognized as top choices by at least one judge.

After thoughtful deliberation, the judges selected the top two teams:

First Place – Team Lions and Tigers

Second Place – Team Pegasus

The hackathon showcased students’ ability to think across disciplines, engage critically with legal tools, and address urgent questions surrounding health, accountability, and the rights of incarcerated populations. The creativity and rigor demonstrated by all participants made this year’s event a great success.

Georgia Law hosts third annual International Law Hackathon, led by Professor Jonathan Peters

The University of Georgia School of Law hosted its third annual International Law Hackathon, led by Jonathan Peters, a media law scholar and the head of UGA’s Department of Journalism in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Peters also holds a courtesy faculty appointment in the law school.

The International Law Hackathon is a one-credit course offered for J.D., LL.M, and graduate students participating in the Graduate Certificate in International Law. This year’s Hackathon focused on social media and the implications of privately governing speech in a globally networked society. Over the span of six weeks, students discussed content moderation and free speech principles, as well as the biggest content challenges that platforms are confronting, such as misinformation and disinformation, bullying and harassment, depictions of violence, and sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Hackathon concluded Saturday, February 15th with student presentations on the challenges posed by regulating speech on social media platforms. Then, working in groups, students proposed updates to General Comment No. 34 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) drafted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. (General Comment No. 34 is an interpretive commentary on the ICCPR provision guaranteeing the freedoms of opinion and expression.) Each group delivered a presentation to a panel of judges outlining the proposed updates and how the changes would impact social media.

This year’s winning team included Zulma Perez (LL.M. ’25) and Brandtley Grace Vickery (J.D. ’25). Their proposal focused on how to reduce the presence of hate speech on YouTube.

The panel of judges included: John B. Meixner, Assistant Professor of Law; Clare R. Norins, Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director; and Christina Lee, a Legal Fellow in the First Amendment Clinic.