Oct. 1 marks the 60th anniversary of the decisions made at the Nuremberg trials, which indicted Nazi officers after the Holocaust. Washington University is marking the anniversary with a three day conference entitled “Judgment at Nuremberg.”
“The Nuremberg trials were the most important international criminal trials ever to take place,” said Larry May, professor of philosophy and main coordinator for the event. “They took place just after the end of the Second World War and in the main trial, Hitler’s top assistants were put on trial, including the head of the Navy and Army.”
Sophomore Ariela Schmidt, president of the Chabad Student Association, also felt its importance resonated to this day.
“The Nuremberg trials were only one aspect of the world response.they were an important way in which the Jews were to move on from such a terrible and horrific experience,” said Schmidt.
Some of the speakers and panel members participating in the three-day event include University and visiting professors, Senator Christopher Dodd and former prosecutors in the Nuremberg trials.
One of the former prosecutors participating in the conference is Whitney B. Harris, the namesake of the University’s Institute for Global Legal Studies. According to May, Harris still lives in St. Louis and practices law.
The planning for the event began about a year ago with contributions from both law and philosophy professors, as well as many others. As such, the discussions will incorporate different schools of thought in looking back on the trials.
“We’ve been planning it for almost a year and there are two different groups working on it,” said May. “The first day will be a mixture of philosophy and law professors who will talk about the legacy of [the trials] by looking at the three crimes against humanities.”
Although the trials happened over half a century ago, its effects and importance have great resonance in the international arena today.
“It’s been used as a model for trials now, [like] the ones going on in the Hague concerning the ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia and Rwanda,” said May. “It’s also used as a model for the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was established just recently and will start hearing cases soon.”
Schmidt agrees.
“The fact that we’re remembering them shows how important of a step it was. The world can use its history as an example for events going on right now,” said Schmidt.
May also explained that the trials are especially relevant right now because of several debates about how to deal with terrorists.
“I guess it’s getting a lot more attention because of debates on what sorts of trials should be used for alleged terrorists, and a recent Supreme Court decision that says the original plan [proposed] was not legal,” said May. “In a reasonable way it’s become kind of a benchmark for how to regard international trials.”
Trials that necessitate an international court have not become commonplace until the 1990s, noted May.
The conference will be held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. Registration fees for students will be waived, but organizers still encourage students to register if they plan on attending. The discussions will be held in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom in Anheuser-Busch Hall.