Venice Commission

United States Joins Venice Commission in 2013

United States views on international law [1] in relation to United States Joins Venice Commission: On April 15, 2013, the United States became the 59th member of the Council of Europe's European Commission for Democracy through Law, or Venice Commission. For more information on the Venice Commission, see its website, venice.coe.int. The United States had been an observer at the Venice Commission since 1991. Sarah Cleveland, a law professor at Colombia Law School who has represented the United States as an observer since 2010, is serving as the first U.S. member on the Commission, with Evelyn Aswad, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, as substitute member. In a post available at (link resource) cyberambassadorsblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/u-s-joins-venice-commissiontoday/, Evan G. Reade, U.S. Deputy Permanent Observer at the Council of Europe, wrote of the U.S. joining the Venice Commission:

Some Aspects of United States Joins Venice Commission

The decision of the United States to seek full membership after many years participating as an observer represents a commitment to the use of rule of law to address all range of constitutional issues, and we look forward to making a positive contribution based on our own legal scholarship, experience, and expertise. The U.S. respects and appreciates the influential work the Commission has accomplished in Europe since its creation in 1990 and notes with satisfaction that in addition to its continued relevance in advancing democracy in Europe, its expertise is now being recognized and sought by countries outside Europe seeking to strengthen the rule of law in their systems of government.

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Notes

1. United States Joins Venice Commission in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law