Author Date

2024-03-12

Degree Name

Department

Political Science

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Defense Date

2024-03-01

Publication Date

2024-03-12

First Faculty Advisor

Edward Carter

First Faculty Reader

Kendall Stiles

Honors Coordinator

Darin Self

Keywords

international law, immigration, asylum, Supreme Court, treaty, refugee

Abstract

The role of international law within the United States legislative system is unclear and fluctuating. The extent to which the United States keeps its international commitments is informed by the application of international law in the country’s highest court, the Supreme Court. The Court’s use of international law varies by case, but consistently applies international law so as to maximize domestic interests. These interests may be of strategic, legal, or ideological value. The Supreme Court cites international asylum law in order to clarify domestic statutes, safeguard domestic sovereignty, and to reemphasize the Court’s preference for domestic statutes over international legal tools.