This symposium honours the work of Deborah Cass, 15 February 1960 – 4 June 2013, a brilliant Australian constitutional and international lawyer. Deborah studied at the University of Melbourne and Harvard Law School and taught at Melbourne Law School, The Australian National University and the London School of Economics. She was a member of The Australian National University’s Centre for International and Public Law from 1993–2000. Deborah’s work offered illuminating new perspectives in a range of fields, from the right to self-determination, critical international legal theory, and feminist legal theory to the international trade law system.

Deborah’s book, The Constitutionalization of the World Trade Organization: Legitimacy, Democracy, and Community in the International Trading System, won the annual prize of the American Society of International Law in 2006. The title of this symposium draws on one of her articles, ‘Traversing the Divide: International Law and Australian Constitutional Law’ (1998) 20 Adelaide Law Review 73. 

This symposium draws together academics from around the globe to reflect on Deborah’s scholarship and contributions to public law and international law, and how they might influence current controversies. Speakers will include Professor Tony Anghie (University of Utah), Professor Hilary Charlesworth (The Australian National University), Jennifer Clarke, Professor Kerry Rittich (University of Toronto), Professor Kim Rubenstein (The Australian National University) and Associate Professor Margaret Young (Melbourne Law School) and will conclude with reflections by Professor Gerry Simpson (Melbourne Law School).

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Co-sponsored with the Centre for International Governance and Justice, RegNet.