Jennifer Martínez
Encyclopedia
Jennifer S. Martinez is a human rights
lawyer
and a professor of law at Stanford Law School
. She represented José Padilla
in the Supreme Court
in Rumsfeld v. Padilla
.
Martinez graduated cum laude with distinction from Yale University
and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
. During her first year in law school, she was awarded the Sears Prize, which goes to the two students with the highest first year grades. She served as Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review
and was twice published in the Law Review. After law school, she clerked for Justice
Stephen Breyer
, the Honorable Patricia Wald
of the United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal
, and Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It is believed that she is the first Hispanic woman to have clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court.
She joined Stanford Law School's faculty in 2003, after working as an attorney at the law firm Jenner & Block in Washington D.C. and as a Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Yale University. She has twice been named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics and an "Elite Woman" by Hispanic Business
magazine." She also was named to the National Law Journal’s list of “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40" and the American Lawyer’s “Young Litigators Fab Fifty." She also has received the Civil Rights Advocacy Award from the La Raza Lawyers of San Francisco and the Ray of Hope Award from Hispanas Organized for Political Equality( HOPE).
She serves on the board of directors for the Open Society Justice Initiative and has served as a consultant on international human rights issues for both Human Rights First and the International Center for Transitional Justice. She is also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a professor of law at Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
. She represented José Padilla
José Padilla (alleged terrorist)
José Padilla , also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah, is a United States citizen convicted of aiding terrorists....
in the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in Rumsfeld v. Padilla
Rumsfeld v. Padilla
Rumsfeld v. Padilla, , was a United States Supreme Court case, in which José Padilla sought habeas corpus relief against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as a result of his detainment as an "unlawful combatant."...
.
Martinez graduated cum laude with distinction from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. During her first year in law school, she was awarded the Sears Prize, which goes to the two students with the highest first year grades. She served as Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
and was twice published in the Law Review. After law school, she clerked for Justice
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
Stephen Breyer
Stephen Breyer
Stephen Gerald Breyer is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law, Breyer is generally associated with the more liberal side of the Court....
, the Honorable Patricia Wald
Patricia Wald
Patricia McGowan Wald is an American judge. Wald served as the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and served as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.Wald graduated from Connecticut College in 1948 and earned...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Criminal Tribunal
International criminal law
International criminal law is a body of international law designed to prohibit certain categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities and to make perpetrators of such conduct criminally accountable for their perpetration. Principally, it deals with genocide, war crimes, crimes against...
, and Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It is believed that she is the first Hispanic woman to have clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court.
She joined Stanford Law School's faculty in 2003, after working as an attorney at the law firm Jenner & Block in Washington D.C. and as a Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Yale University. She has twice been named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics and an "Elite Woman" by Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business, Inc. is a media company based in Goleta, California, in the United States of America. The firm was founded by Jesús Chavarría in 1979 and its publications are oriented towards Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs.-Publications:...
magazine." She also was named to the National Law Journal’s list of “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40" and the American Lawyer’s “Young Litigators Fab Fifty." She also has received the Civil Rights Advocacy Award from the La Raza Lawyers of San Francisco and the Ray of Hope Award from Hispanas Organized for Political Equality( HOPE).
She serves on the board of directors for the Open Society Justice Initiative and has served as a consultant on international human rights issues for both Human Rights First and the International Center for Transitional Justice. She is also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
External links
- Stanford Law School Faculty -- Jenny S. Martinez
- Video discussion about International Law with Jennifer Martinez and Henry FarrellHenry Farrell (political scientist)Henry Farrell is an Irish-born political scientist at George Washington University. He previously taught at the University of Toronto and earned his PhD from Georgetown University. His research interests include, trust and co-operation; E-commerce; the European Union; and institutional...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...