LawPod

In the first in our Neurodivergence and the Law mini-series, Sarah McMahon and Dr Lauren Dempster interview Naomi Maxwell and Dr Amanda Kramer about their research on autism and policing in Northern Ireland. In the UK, more than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum (National Autistic Society 2023). However, research shows that police can misunderstand or misinterpret the behaviour of autistic individuals, leading to suspicion, inappropriate responses, and rights violations. In this episode, Naomi and Amanda discuss the relationship between policing and autism, the methodology and findings of Naomi’s LLM Dissertation research on autism training in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and the changes they would like to see in policy and practice.   Further reading Naomi Maxwell and Amanda Kramer ‘Forgotten, Outdated and Absent: PSNI Officer’s Training, Experiences, and Confidence with Autism,’ Policing and Society https://www.autismni.org/ Crane et al. 2016 'Experiences of autism spectrum disorder and policing in England and Wales: surveying police and the autism community', Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

In this episode, Professor Aoife O’Donoghue (QUB School of Law) and Dr Ruth Houghton (Newcastle University Law School) interview poet Julie Morrissy about Julie’s career as a poet. They explore how law influences and resonates in Julie’s poetry, the way that legal training shapes thinking and writing, and the notion of law as a performance. Aoife, Julie and Ruth also discuss the writing and language of constitutions and manifestos, with particular focus on women’s voices and the Irish feminist tradition. Biographies Julie Morrissy is an Irish poet, academic, activist, and a graduate of UCD Law. From 2021-22, she was the first Poet-in-Residence at the National Library of Ireland. Her award-winning project "Certain Individual Women" uses poetry to examine gender discrimination in Irish legislation and the Bunreacht (the 1937 Constitution). Her awards include the National Endowment for the Humanities, the MAKE Theatre Award, and the Arts Council of Ireland ‘Next Generation’ Award. Morrissy's poetry has been exhibited in the TULCA Festival of Visual Arts, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, and acquired for the Ireland State Art Collection. Her debut collection Where, the Mile End was published in 2019 by tall-lighthouse (UK) and Book*hug (Canada). Her website is www.juliemorrissy.com https://www.bathmagg.com/juliemorrissy/ Dr Ruth Houghton is a Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University Law School. Throughout her research in global constitutionalism and international law, Ruth uses feminist methodologies and constitutional and political theory to challenge the disciplinary assumptions on democracy and constituent power. Ruth's most recent work utilises law and humanities methodologies, including work on speculative fiction, utopias and feminist manifestos, as well as theatre productions to understand (re)constructions of constitutional moments and provide novel re-imaginings of constituent power.

In this episode, QUB School of Law PhD student Tamara Tamimi speaks about her research on international law and perceptions of justice in Palestine with Dr Alice Panepinto. Tamara shares what she has found in her research so far and how perceptions of justice might be shaped by the current violence in Palestine. Alice and Tamara discuss the historical context of the occupation of and settler colonialism in Palestine, the relationship between international law and armed violence in the region, and what the ways forward are from here. Resources Tamara Tamimi, Ahmad Amara, Osama Risheq, Munir Nuseibah, Alice Panepinto, Brendan Browne, and Triestino Marinello “(Mis)using Legal Pluralism in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to Advance Dispossession of Palestinians: Israeli Policies against Palestinian Bedouins in the Eastern Jerusalem Periphery” in Noorhaidi Hasan and Irene Schneider (eds) in International Law between Translation and Pluralism: Examples from Germany, Palestine and Indonesia Edward Said, The Question of Palestine Edward Said, Out of Place: A Memoir Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe, On Palestine Ilan Pappe, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Angela Davis, Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement Judith Butler, Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917- 2017 Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness This episode was recorded remotely on 26th October 2023

In this podcast, Dr Claire Wright talks with Dr Stefano Angeleri about his experience of conducting research on health rights for migrant populations. They discuss Angeleri’s motivation as a PhD and postdoc researcher, the findings of the book 'Irregular Migrants and the Right to Health,' https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/irregular-migrants-and-the-right-to-health/BF98CA548D0F08125CCAC39CE958309C and the partial outcomes, anecdotes, and stories related to his current project in Colombia, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 101032116—HEAVEN. Overall, Dr. Angeleri argues that partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations are essential to address the health needs of marginalised groups. However, stable solutions for protecting the right to health should begin with the inclusion of irregular migrants in institutional preventive and primary care services. Biography Dr Stefano Angeleri is an EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s University Belfast and currently visiting scholar at FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University. During his career he started working as a solicitor in Italy, then he focused on human rights research and capacity building in Europe and Latin America by collaborating with the International Organization for Migration (Colombia), Jesuit Refugee Service (Colombia), Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Doctors of the World (Belgium) and the Italian NGO Naga. His specific area of expertise are the relationships between health, migration and human rights. Recent publications include the monograph “Irregular Migrants and the Right to Health” (Cambridge University Press, 2022), the JA “Parsing human rights, promoting health equity: reflections on Colombia’s response to Venezuelan migration,” Medical Law Review, Volume 31, Issue 2, Spring 2023, Pages 187–204, https://doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwac053 (with Thérèse Murphy) & the blog “Migrant Health Rights in Colombia: What’s at Stake Beyond Justiciable Rights and Humanitarian Programmes?” Opinio Juris, 19th October 2023 https://opiniojuris.org/2023/10/19/migrant-health-rights-in-colombia-whats-at-stake-beyond-justiciable-rights-and-humanitarian-programmes/

Dr Conor McCormick is in discussion with Dearbhla Minogue, a lawyer from the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), about an exciting new clinical collaboration between GLAN and the School of Law at Queen's. They map out some of GLAN’s work in holding powerful actors to account through litigation, in addition to their collaboration with the digital investigators at Bellingcat. This new project will enable a group of graduate students to learn how social media evidence is gathered and analysed for the purposes of war crimes accountability – and their work will be plugged in to GLAN’s ongoing cases. Resources GLAN/Bellingcat Methodology Mock Admissibility Hearing with HHJ Joanna Korner KC Open Source Evidence and the Laws of War Reports Bellingcat’s Website – Sample geolocation and beginners’ guide to geolocation Google Earth Pro Youtube account of Benjamin Strick

Dr Louise Rhodes talks to MLaw graduates Tamara Duncan and Lisa McKeown about their experiences of studying while parenting. The conversation tracks their experience, along with the hosts own experience. They map out the particular socio-economic, physical and psychological issues that manifest whilst being a mother and studying for a law degree. Rounding off with advice to current and up and coming students with child care responsibilities, on how to navigate their way through their law degree whilst juggling the other tasks that go along with parenting. Masters in Law Programme

In this episode, Dr Bróna McNeill and Dr Ciara Brennan (Director of the Environmental Justice Network Ireland) discuss their recent report: Lough Neagh’s Future Ownership: Legal and Policy Considerations, which was developed in response to the ecological crisis that has unfolded at the lough over Summer 2023. The conversation takes a deeper dive into some of the issues raised in the report and considers: who currently owns Lough Neagh and the ecological implications of private ownership in this context; whether public ownership might help improve conditions at the lough; and whether ‘Rights of Nature’ can be considered a viable option for securing a more sustainable future for the lough. The discussion also considers the broader context of all of these issues: the catastrophic failure of environmental governance in this jurisdiction, and the pressing cross-border implications of a continued failure to effectively enforce environmental regulations. The report is available here. Find out more about EJNI here. Dr Bróna McNeill's Academic Profile

In this wide ranging discussion, the School of Law's Dr Peter Doran, meets Nigerian scholar, writer and philosopher, Dr Báyò Akómoláfé. The context is Dr Doran's upcoming report for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (Ireland) on the role of the artist in advancing the wellbeing economy, and the topics covered include 'postactivism', decoloniality and modernity. Báyo has recently taken up the position of Ambassador for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance worldwide, and is founder of The Emergence Network. "The task for today's activist," comments Dr Doran, "is to 'stay with the trouble' and avoid reaching for illusory solutions framed by the logics and power configurations that have brought us to the brink. In Báyò's words, 'times are urgent, it is time to slow down.' " Join us for a profound exploration with Báyo, delving into the depths of colonisation, perception, and art. Unpack the power of "ontological mutiny" and discover how getting "lost" can be our path to freedom. Dive deep, challenge norms, and reshape your understanding of the world.

In this episode, Prof Luke Moffett and Dr Kevin Hearty talk with Victims' Commissioner Ian Jeffers and Dr Cheryl Lawther about their recent report on More than a Number: Reparations for those Bereaved during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The report based on interviews with victims and archival work found that compensation during the early years of the Troubles, where half of all deaths occurred, was inadequate and not fit for purpose. Some victims who were killed in the same incident saw large discrepancies with one being paid £50 and another £15,000, even in the same family, in one case where two brothers were killed, their family received £5,000 for one of them and £112 for the other. Women were also discriminated against and make up most of the lowest awards, despite making up only 10% of those killed. In the podcast we discuss the findings and next steps to establish a bereavement payment scheme. The full report and presentations from the launch can be found here: https://reparations.qub.ac.uk/new-report-reparations-for-those-bereaved-during-the-troubles/

In this episode, LawPod’s Law and Society team participant Aoibhinn Graham interviews Kevin Doherty, the Union Services Officer for the Northern Ireland branch of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The conversation focuses on the content and impact of the new Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) legislation on the function trade unions and the right to strike in Britain, as well as how this may affect the trade union movement in Northern Ireland. Key challenges facing trade unions are highlighted, including a flurry of anti-union legislation and the media’s often biased portrayal of unions and industrial action. The discussion also features a broader analysis of the impact of such legislation on democracy and devolution in the UK. For more information on ICTU’s work, visit https://www.ictu.ie/ and https://www.ictuni.org/For more details about the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) legislation, see https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3396