Utilising International Human Rights Law to Promote Civil Liberties in the US: A Case Study on the UN UPR and the ACLU's campaign for smart justice

自1920年以来，美国公民自由联盟（ACLU）作为一个公民社会组织（CSO）一直是美国（US）公民自由的捍卫者（Zackin, 2006）。他们“备受尊敬的”法庭之友摘要和美国最高法院诉讼（Lynch, 2004）帮助建立了刑事诉讼中的各种宪法保护，包括逮捕权（Miranda v. Arizona, 1966）和陪审团一致意见（Ramos v. Louisiana, 2020）。2010年，他们发起了“智能司法运动”（Campaign for Smart Justice， CSJ），分发各州具体的“蓝图”，寻求通过在六个领域进行法定改革，将美国监禁人口减少一半：大规模监禁、起诉、保释、假释、量刑和重返社会。蓝图可以映射到国际人权法（IHR），美国在法律上有义务执行，但没有（Gainsborough, 2004）（例如，《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》）。我的研究确定了美国公民自由联盟对待《国际卫生条例》的三个“时代”：不感兴趣（1920-1939）、镜像（1940-2003）和支持（2004年至今）。自2004年以来，美国公民自由联盟一直参与审查联合国成员国条约承诺的普遍定期审议（Bronstein， 2004年）（Res.60/251）。到目前为止，美国已经进行了三次审查（2010年、2015年和2020年），其中ACLU提交了含蓄地倡导CSJ思想的报告。适用《国际卫生条例》进一步使美国刑事司法系统合法化（Rehman, 2002）。Storey（2021）认为，普遍定期审议可以将《国际卫生条例》转化为美国的法律改革。然而，对于如何利用《国际卫生条例》进一步保护美国公民自由，尚无系统的、定性的审查。我的项目将使用CSJ来填补这一空白。研究Questions1。美国公民自由联盟是什么？它是如何影响美国的刑事司法权利的？ACLU在多大程度上参与了《国际卫生条例》，包括普遍定期审议？3 . ACLU在提交给美国普遍定期审议的文件中是如何（隐式和明确地）引用CSJ的？ACLU如何利用《国际卫生条例》和普遍定期审议来加强其CSJ蓝图？对美国公民自由联盟在刑事司法方面的活动进行理论法律调查，将调查结果映射到《国际卫生条例》和《CSJ》，同时评估美国例外论的影响。2 .采用Storey（2021）的方法，通过识别和主题分析美国普遍定期审议文件中对CSJ问题的隐含和明确引用，评估影响并形成结论，来整理普遍定期审议数据。利用这些数据为每个CSJ问题生成六个“蓝图”，将它们与《国际卫生条例》分层，为ACLU提供一个框架，使其能够利用普遍定期审议作为加强CSJ的工具。影响-对美国公民自由联盟的学术研究以及《国际卫生条例》与美国例外论的关系有所贡献。-制定蓝图，分发给美国公民自由联盟办事处，以通知国家和地方的CSJ倡议。-推进Storey开发的方法；在刑事司法的不同方面进行复制。结构-介绍-美国公民自由联盟及其对美国刑事司法的影响-美国公民自由联盟与《国际卫生条例》（与美国例外论交织在一起）-美国普遍定期审议记录分析-调查结果-蓝图模型-结论时间表第1年：-绘制对《国际卫生条例》基本刑事理论做出贡献的案例图。-定义ACLU与《国际卫生条例》相关的“时代”。-收集和分析美国的UPR数据，-建立论文结构。第三年：撰写蓝图，完成论文。

Since 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has been the United States' (US) defender of civil liberties, (Zackin, 2006). Their "highly esteemed" Amicus briefs and US Supreme Court litigation (Lynch, 2004) helped establish various constitutional protections in criminal procedure, including rights upon arrest, (Miranda v. Arizona 1966) and jury unanimity (Ramos v. Louisiana 2020).In 2010, they launched their 'Campaign for Smart Justice' (CSJ), distributing state-specific 'blueprints' seeking to halve the US incarcerated population through statutory reforms across six areas: mass incarceration, prosecution, bail, parole, sentencing and re-entry. Blueprints can be mapped against international human rights law (IHR) the US is legally bound to implement yet does not, (Gainsborough, 2004) (e.g., International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).My research has identified three 'eras' in the ACLU's approach towards IHR: disinterest (1920-1939), mirroring, (1940-2003) and supportive (2004-present). Since 2004, the ACLU has engaged with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), (Bronstein, 2004), which reviews UN member states' treaty commitments, (Res.60/251). To date, the US has had three reviews (2010, 2015, 2020) within which the ACLU submitted reports implicitly advocating CSJ ideas.Applying IHR further legitimises the US criminal justice system, (Rehman, 2002). Storey (2021) contends that the UPR can translate IHR into US legal reform. Yet, there is no systematic, qualitative review of how to utilize IHR to further protect US civil liberties. My project will fill this gap using the CSJ.Research Questions1.What is the ACLU, and how has it impacted criminal-justice-based-rights in the US?2.To what extent does the ACLU engage with IHR, including the UPR?3.How has the ACLU referenced (implicitly and explicitly) the CSJ in its submissions to the US UPRs?4.How can the ACLU use IHR and the UPR to strengthen its CSJ blueprints?Method1.Doctrinal legal inquiry into the ACLU's activities pertaining to criminal justice, mapping findings to IHR and CSJ, whilst assessing the impact of American Exceptionalism.2.Employ Storey's (2021) method to collate UPR data by identifying and thematically analysing implicit and explicit references to CSJ issues in the US' UPR documents, assessing impacts, and forming conclusions.3.Use the data to generate six 'blueprints' for each CSJ issue, layering them with IHR, providing a framework for the ACLU to use the UPR as a vehicle to strengthen the CSJ.Impacts- Contribute to scholarship on the ACLU and the relationship between IHR and American Exceptionalism.- Generate blueprints to be disseminated to US ACLU offices to inform national and local CSJ initiatives.- Advance the methodology developed by Storey; replicating it across a different aspect of criminal justice. Structure- Introduction- The ACLU and its Influence on US criminal justice- The ACLU and IHR (interwoven with American Exceptionalism)- US UPR Record Analysis- Findings- Blueprint Model(s)- ConclusionsTimelineYear 1:- Map cases that contributed to essential criminal doctrines to IHR.- Define the ACLU's 'eras' pertaining to IHR.Year 2:- Collect and analyse US' UPR data,- Establish thesis structure.Year 3:- Write up the blueprints,- Complete thesis.