Jackson Center Presents Webinar Commemorating Legacy At Nuremberg

Jackson at Nuremberg — Image by the Robert H. Jackson Center.

JAMESTOWN – The Robert Jackson Center will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the signing of the London Agreement and Charter and the establishment of the International Military Tribunal during a webinar next weekend.

The free global webinar will take place on Saturday, August 8 live at 9 am EDT, 2pm BST, and 3pm CEST.

“As Justice Jackson said in his opening statement at Nuremberg, the trial was ‘one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason,’ and the trials, the groundwork necessary to bring them to fruition, and the subsequent development of international law should be celebrated. We will commemorate these historic events and discuss how the legacy of Robert H. Jackson and the Nuremberg Trials live in the world today,” said Jackson Center President, Kristan McMahon. “We are excited to work with a number of international organizations and an excellent group of panelists for this discussion.”

Webinar Schedule

Welcome: Kristan McMahon, President of the Robert H. Jackson Center

Greetings: Ben Ferencz, Investigator of Nazi war crimes & the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial
Historical overview: John Q. Barrett, Professor of Law at St. John’s University, Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow and Board member at the Robert H. Jackson Center

Introduction of moderator: Michael Scharf, Dean, Case Western Reserve School of Law
Panel discussion

Panelists:

From the Robert H. Jackson Center:

- David Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone
- James Johnson, Prosecutor, Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
- Leila Sadat, Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute and Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law
From London:
- Andrew Cayley, CMG QC, Director Service Prosecutions, Chief Military Prosecutor British Armed Forces
- Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association
- William A. Schabas, OC MRIA, Professor of International Law, School of Law, Middlesex University, London, Professor of International Criminal Law and Human Rights at Leiden University

From Nuremberg:
- Henrike Claussen, Director, Memorium Nuremberg Trials
- Navi Pillay, President of the Advisory Council, International Nuremberg Principles Academy
- Klaus Rackwitz, Director, International Nuremberg Principles Academy

On August 8, 1945 the United States, England, France and the Soviet Union signed the London Agreement. The London Agreement & Charter established the structure, jurisdiction, and crimes for the Nuremberg Trials.

For two months during the summer of 1945, Robert H. Jackson and his team, which included his son William E. Jackson, worked to achieve a consensus among the Allies, find a location for the trials, preserve evidence, and begin developing the trial strategy. Jackson’s energy, intelligence, and leadership directed the London Conference.

The Charter defined the crimes the defendants could be charged with: crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, which became the basis for modern international humanitarian law and the International Criminal Court.

Preregistration for this free webinar is required. Registrants will receive a Zoom link via email to the webinar once they have registered. The webinar will be offered in English only and will be recorded. Register online at https://www.roberthjackson.org/event/the-age-of-robert-h-jackson-london-nuremberg-today/ or by calling 716-483-6646.

This program is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Whitney R. Harris Lectureship Fund and our program partners: Case Western Reserve University School of Law, International Nuremberg Principles Academy, the International Bar Association, and the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute.