ALI Member Merrick Brian Garland Is President Obama's SCOTUS Nominee

Human rights advocate Dr. Jeremy Levitt earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, where he graduated with Dean's List Honors. Dr. Jeremy Levitt is a member of the American Law Institute (ALI), the country's leading organization working toward the improvement and modernization of law. President Obama's SCOTUS nominee, Merrick Brian Garland, is also a member of ALI.

Merrick Brian Garland is the incumbent chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, a post he has held since February 2013. Garland has been considered by President Obama to replace Associate Justice Antonin Scalia in the Supreme Court following the latter's demise earlier this year.

Chief Judge Garland has a stellar academic record, having graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1977. Following his graduation from law school, he served as a clerk to judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court. Garland also served as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. He resumed practice in 1985 as a partner at Arnold & Porter.

Chief Judge Garland returned to civil service as the assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Prior to being named as a circuit judge, Garland also served as principal associate deputy attorney general.

Outside of his practice, Chief Judge Garland has taught law at the Harvard School of Law, and he is an a member of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

The American Society of International Law and Human Rights

Los Angeles native Dr. Jeremy Levitt is the Vice-Chancellor Chair at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law. Experienced in international law, Dr. Jeremy Levitt maintains membership in the American Society of International Law (ASIL).

Founded in 1906, ASIL was congressionally chartered in 1950 and serves as a nonprofit membership organization with a mission to advance the study and practice of international Law. ASIL encompasses numerous concentrations including the environment, health, science, and technology, human rights, and international crime law.

The study of international human rights law initially experienced growth following the end of World War II. Since then, this burgeoning body of international law has come to cover a wide range of subtopics, including political, economic, and social rights. International human rights law is promoted and administered by numerous institutions established by treaties and conventions. The UN Security Council has also contributed to upholding international law by creating permanent courts such as the International Criminal Court.