The School of Law’s war crimes research program, Michael Scharf and the Public International Law and Policy Group were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Scharf, now co-dean of the School of Law, co-founded the Public International Law and Policy Group, a non-governmental organization.
David Crane, who was the Special Court for Sierra Leone’s founding chief prosecutor, made the nomination in honor of the work Scharf, the program and organization conducted to help in the war crimes case against former Liberian president Charles Taylor.
Crane first reached out to ask for the school’s assistance with the case shortly after his appointment in 2002.
In all, faculty members, students and alumni contributed to the case for about 10 years.