For Immediate Release
March 26, 2010

Media Contact:
Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500

Professor Edith Brown Weiss

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of international law, Georgetown University Law Center Professor Edith Brown Weiss was presented the Manley O. Hudson Medal by the American Society of International Law (ASIL) at its annual meeting in Washington on March 25.

"We are delighted to recognize the important contributions that Professor Brown Weiss has made," said ASIL executive director Elizabeth Andersen.  "Her work -- particularly as it has shaped international environmental law, but also with respect to trade, development and human rights -- has left an indelible mark on the international legal field."

Established in 1956, the Manley O. Hudson Medal is awarded on an occasional basis for "pre-eminent scholarship and achievement in international law."  Georgetown Law Professor John Jackson was a recipient in 2008.

Brown Weiss, who joined the Georgetown Law faculty in 1978, is the Francis Cabell Brown Professor of International Law. Before coming to Georgetown, she was a professor at Princeton University. In 2002, Brown Weiss was appointed to the three-member independent Inspection Panel of the World Bank. She served as chairperson of the Panel from 2003-2007, a vice-presidential level appointment. The Panel responds to the concerns of those affected by Bank projects and works to ensure that the Bank adheres to its policies and procedures during the design, preparation and implementation phases.

Brown Weiss served as president of the American Society of International Law and as associate general counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she established the Division of International Law. She served on the board of directors of the Japanese Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the advisory council of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the council of advisors to the Cousteau Society. She has also been a special legal adviser to the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and served on the National Academy of Sciences Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources. She is a member of seven scholarly international editorial boards, including the American Journal of International Law and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law.

Brown Weiss has published numerous books on international and environmental law. She is the co-author of "Fresh Water and International Economic Law" (2005), "Reconciling Environment and Trade" (2001, 2008), "Engaging Countries: Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Accords" (1998), and "International Environmental Law and Policy" (1998, 2007).  She is the author of "The Evolution of International Water Law" (2009), which was published by the Hague Academy of International Law, and "In Fairness to Future Generations: International Law, Common Patrimony, and Intergenerational Equity" (1989), which has been translated into French, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese, and received the Certificate of Merit Award from the American Society of International Law in 1990 for pre-eminent contribution to creative scholarship.

Brown Weiss received the International Environmental Law Award from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in 2008, the ABA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy in 2003, the Prominent Women in International Law Award from the American Society of International Law in 1996 and the Elizabeth Haub Prize for international environmental law from the Free University of Brussels and the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL) in 1994.

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