Bio

Cathleen Powell is an Associate Professor in Public Law at the University of Cape Town, holding a BA and LLB from the University of Cape Town, South Africa; an LL.M. from the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany; and an SJD from the University of Toronto in Canada.  She has published in the areas of international law, constitutional law, international organisations, legal theory, counterterrorism and the interface between law and politics in the international arena.  She served on the panel of foreign experts which commented on China’s emergency law in 2006, as well as being one of the advisors to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in drawing up a Handbook on the Criminal Justice Response to Terrorism in 2008.  She is interviewed in local and international media on South African constitutional law, international law and international criminal law.

Teaching

• Constitutional Law PBL2000W, PBL2002 (LLB course)
• International Law in Theory and Practice PBL5615F (LLM course)
• International Law on the Settlement of Disputes and the Use of Force PBL 5618S (LLM course).

Publications

‘Palestine’s Quest for Statehood and the Practice of the United Nations’ in N Rajkovic, T Aalberts and T Gammeltoft-Hansen (eds) Power of Legality: Practices of International Law and their Politics (2016) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

‘Sources of Constitutional Law’ in C Murray and C Kirby (eds) International Encyclopedia of Laws - Constitutional Law South Africa (2014) Kluwer, Alphen an den Rijn

‘War, Treaty and Foreign Affairs’ in C Murray and C Kirby (eds) International Encyclopedia of Laws - Constitutional Law South Africa (2014) Kluwer, Alphen an den Rijn

Book review of Legitimacy and Legality in International Law by Jutta Brunnee and Stephen Toope in 48 Canadian Yearbook of International Law 613

‘Terrorism and Governance in South Africa and Eastern Africa’ in Victor V. Ramraj, George Williams, Michael Hor, and Kent Roach (eds) (2011) Global Anti-Terrorism Law and Policy (2ed) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

‘The United Nations Security Council, Terrorism and the Rule of Law’ in Victor V. Ramraj, George Williams, Michael Hor, and Kent Roach (eds) (2011) Global Anti-Terrorism Law and Policy (2ed) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

‘A Fullerian analysis of Security Council legislation’ (2011) International Organisations Law Review 1

‘The role and limits of global administrative law in the Security Council's anti-terrorism programme’ in 2009 Acta Juridica

‘General Principles’ in Max du Plessis (ed) (2008) The African Guide to International Criminal Justice Institute for Security Studies Publication, Pretoria (co-written with Adele Erasmus)

‘Defining Terrorism: How and Why’ in Nicole LaViolette and Craig Forcese (eds) (2008) The Human Rights of Anti-Terrorism (2008) Irwin Law Toronto

‘The Legal Authority of the United Nations Security Council’ in Benjamin Goold and Liora Lazarus (eds) (2007) Security and Human Rights Hart Publishing Oxford

‘Terrorism and International Humanitarian Law’ (co-written with Garth Abraham) in (2006) 1 African Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law 118

‘Restoring Land: the claims of aboriginal title, customary law and the right to culture’ in 2005 (3) Stellenbosch Law Review 431-445 (co-written with Prof. TW Bennett)

‘Terrorism and the Separation of Powers at the National and International Level’ in (2005) 18 South African Journal on Criminal Justice 151

‘Terrorism and Governance in South Africa and Eastern Africa’ in Victor V. Ramraj, Michael Hor, and Kent Roach (eds) (2005) Global Anti-Terrorism Law and Policy Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 555

‘The meaning of Institutional Independence in Van Rooyen v S’(co-written with J Franco) (2004) 121 South African Law Journal 562

‘South Africa's Legislation against Terrorism and Organised Crime’ 2002 Singapore Journal of Legal Studies 104

‘Reconciling the Fight against Terrorism and Organised Crime with Banjul’ (co-written with I Goodman) (2002) Terrorism and Africa Monograph no. 74, Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria

Book review of The Responsibility of States for International Crimes by Nina Jørgen (2002) 15 Leiden Journal of International Law 270

‘Revisiting Pinochet: The Development of Customary International Criminal Law’ (co-written with A Pillay) (2001) South African Journal on Human Rights 477

‘Prosecuting Pinochets in South Africa: Implementing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court’ (co-written with Dr. F. Jessberger) (2001) 14 South African Journal of Criminal Justice 344

‘The State as Trustee of Land’ (co-written with Prof. T.W. Bennett) (2000) 16 South African Journal on Human Rights 601

‘Aboriginal Title in South Africa Revisited’ (co-written with Prof. T.W. Bennett) (1999) 15 South African Journal on Human Rights 449

‘The Options for Worker Participation in South Africa’ 1993 Responsa Meridiana 204