Latest case in point is a really great issue brought up by Dan at CLB on the application of foreign law in U.S. courts, or the lack thereof. Since I never get near U.S. courts, this is news to me and a bit surprising.

But should I really be that surprised? We’ve got a president in the U.S. who clearly does not respect public international law or multilateral institutions, except when they are useful means to an end. Both political parties enjoy their own brand of protectionist xenophobia, and this gets passed down to the public quite handily.

Shouldn’t judges be immune to this sort of rhetoric? Ha ha ha. Dan’s anecdote concerned a federal case in Texas. Hmmm, a judge appointed to a federal district court in Texas. I wonder what that cowboy’s political leanings are?

OK, that was unfair. But on the big picture stuff, I will stand by my generalization. This is one of the reasons why all the anti-trade and anti-immigration speechifying is really not a good thing. You bash foreigners enough and it will cause a ripple effect in other policy areas. I believe that what Dan is talking about might be one such area.