Christopher A. Whytock
Joint appointment in Law and Political Science
Expertise:
Transnational litigation, international law, conflict of laws, empirical legal studies
Background:
Christopher Whytock is Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, and a faculty affiliate and member of the advisory board of the UCI Center in Law, Society and Culture.
In 2013, the American Law Institute appointed Professor Whytock to serve as an adviser on the new Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States, and in 2014 the ALI appointed him to serve as an associate reporter for the new Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws.
Professor Whytock’s research focuses on transnational litigation, conflict of laws, international law, and the role of domestic law and domestic courts in global governance. His scholarship has appeared in law journals including Columbia Law Review, Cornell Law Review, New York University Law Review and University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and peer-reviewed social science journals including International Security. His books include Research Handbook on the Politics of International Law (co-edited with Wayne Sandholtz), Transnational Law and Practice (with Donald E. Childress III and Michael D. Ramsey) and Understanding Conflict of Laws (Fourth Edition) (with William M. Richman & William L. Reynolds).
Professor Whytock has taught courses on international law, civil procedure, conflict of laws, foreign relations law, international relations theory, and business associations.
Professor Whytock previously taught at the University of Utah College of Law and practiced law as an associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Duke University; his J.D. and M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow in Public International Law; and his B.A. in political science from UCLA.
Current Courses:
Introduction to American Law (LL.M.), Procedural AnalysisPrior Courses:
Procedural Analysis, Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Foreign Relations Law, International Law, International Legal Analysis, International Relations Theory, Conflict of Laws, Advanced Public International Law
- Peter Hay, Patrick J. Borchers, Symeon C. Symeonides & Christopher A. Whytock, Conflict of Laws (6th ed. forthcoming 2018).
- Christopher A. Whytock, From International Law and International Relations to Law and World Politics, in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics: The Politics of Law and the Judiciary (William Thompson & Keith E. Whittington eds., forthcoming 2017).
- Research Handbook on the Politics of International Law (Wayne Sandholtz & Christopher A. Whytock eds., 2017).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Toward a New Dialogue Between Conflict of Laws and International Law, 110 Am. J. of Int’l L. Unbound 150 (2016).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Conflict of Laws, Global Governance, and Transnational Legal Order, 1 UC Irvine J. of Int’l, Transnat’l, & Comp. L. 117 (2016).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Enforcement of Foreign Judgments: Governance, Rights, and the Market for Dispute Resolution Services, in The Transformation of Enforcement: European Economic Law in Global Perspective 47-68 (Hans-W. Mickitz & Andrea Wechsler eds., 2016).
- Tarik Hansen & Christopher A. Whytock, The Judgment Enforceability Factor in Forum Non Conveniens Analysis, 101 Iowa L. Rev. (2016).
- Adam S. Chilton & Christopher A. Whytock, Foreign Sovereign Immunity and Comparative Institutional Competence, 163 U. Pa. L. Rev. 411 (2015).
- Donald E. Childress III, Michael D. Ramsey & Christopher A. Whytock, Transnational Law and Practice (2015).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Faith and Scepticism in Private International Law: Trust, Governance, Politics, and Foreign Judgments, 7 Erasmus L. Rev. 113 (2014).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Foreign State Immunity and the Right to Court Access, 93 B.U. L. Rev. 2033 (2013).
- William M. Richman, William L. Reynolds & Christopher A. Whytock, Understanding Conflict of Laws (4th ed. 2013).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Some Cautionary Notes on the “Chevronization” of Transnational Litigation, 1 Stan. J. Complex Litig. 467 (2013).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Donald Earl Childress III, & Michael D. Ramsey, Foreword, After Kiobel: International Human Rights Litigation in State Courts and Under State Law, 3 UC Irvine L. Rev. 1 (2013).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Kiobel Insta-Symposium: After Kiobel: Human Rights Litigation in State Courts and Under State Law, Opinio Juris (2013).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Transnational Judicial Governance, 2 St. John's J. Int'l & Comp. L. 55 (2012).
- Christopher A. Whytock & Cassandra Burke Robertson, Forum Non Conveniens and the Enforcement of Foreign Judgments, 111 Colum. L. Rev. 1444 (2011).
- Christopher A. Whytock, The Evolving Forum Shopping System, 96 Cornell L. Rev. 481 (2011).
- Marcus S. Quintanilla & Christopher A. Whytock, The New Multipolarity in Transnational Litigation: Foreign Courts, Foreign Judgments, and Foreign Law, 18 Sw. J. Intl. L. 31 (2011).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Private-Public Interaction in Global Governance: The Case of Transnational Commercial Arbitration, 12 Bus. & Politics (2010).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Foreign Law in Domestic Courts: Different Uses, Different Implications, in Globalizing Justice: Critical Perspectives on Transnational Law and the Cross-Border Migration of Legal Norms (Donald W. Jackson, Michael Tolley & Mary Volcansek eds., 2010).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Myth of Mess? International Choice of Law in Action, 84 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 719 (2009).
- Christopher A. Whytock, Domestic Courts and Global Governance, 84 Tul. L. Rev. 69 (2009).
- July 2016
Presenter, “Transnational Law and the Global Legal System,” Conference on Jessup’s Bold Proposal: Engagements with ‘Transnational Law’ after Sixty Years, King’s College London School of Law - April 2016
Presenter, “State Remedies for Human Rights,” Colloquium on International and Comparative Law and Politics, UC Berkeley School of Law - February 2016
Presenter, “Harmonization of EU Procedural Law: Is the US a Positive or Negative Model?” Conference on Common Rules and Best Practices in European Civil Procedure, Rotterdam, Netherlands - February 2016
Discussant, Southern California International Law Scholars Workshop, UC Irvine School of Law - November 2015
Presenter, “Judging in Global Context, Domestic Courts, International Relations, and Foreign Sovereign Immunity,” University of Iowa College of Law Faculty Workshop - September 2015
Presenter, “Judging in Global Context: Domestic Courts, International Relations, and Foreign Sovereign Immunity,” Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA - May 2015
Presenter, “Conflict of Laws, Private International Law, and Transnational Legal Order," Roundtable Session on Transnational Legal Orders at Annual Meeting of the Law & Society Association, Seattle, WA - May 2015
Presenter, “Conflict of Laws, Private International Law, and Transnational Legal Order,” Symposium on Transnational Legal Orders for Private Law and Business Regulation, UC Irvine School of Law - March 2015
Discussant, SoCLASS III: Regualtion, Law and Social Science, University of Southern California School of Law, Los Angeles, CA - November 2014
Presenter, “From International Law and International Relations to Law and World Politics,” UCLA International Law/International Relations Workshop, Los Angeles, CA - April 2014
Presenter, “Foreign Sovereign Immunity and Comparative Institutional Competence,” Faculty Workshop Series, Florida International University College of Law, Miami, FL - March 2014
Presenter, “Foreign Sovereign Immunity and Comparative Institutional Competence,” International Law Colloquium Series, University of Georgia School of Law, Athens, GA - February 2014
Presenter, “Faith and Skepticism in Private International Law: Trust, Governance, Politics,” Bay Area Civil Procedure Forum, San Francisco, CA - June 2013
Presenter, “Governance Values and Rights Values in EU and U.S. Foreign Judgment Enforcement Law,” European Research Council Conference on the Transformation of Enforcement: European Economic Law in Global Perspective, European University Institute, Florence, Italy - April 2013
Presenter, “A Natural Experiment in Comparative Institutional Competence: The State Department, the Courts, and Foreign Sovereign Immunity,” annual meeting of the International Studies Association, San Francisco, CA - February 2013
Panelist, Stanford Journal of Complex Litigation "Lessons from Chevron" Symposium - March 2012
Panelist, "Chevron-Ecuador: The Jarndyce v. Jarndyce of the 21st Century," American Society of International Law Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. - March 2012
Organizer, Human Rights Litigation Symposium, UC Irvine School of Law
- Daily Journal: Prof. Whytock op-ed: American courts owe respect to foreign court interpretations, but need not defer
- Courts Law JOTWELL: Profs. Whytock, Davis make compelling case in journal article on state remedies for human rights violations
- Human Rights at Home Blog: Prof Whytock writes on Jesner v. Arab Bank, the future of human rights litigation
- Los Angeles Daily Journal: Prof. Whytock op-ed: Are US courts bound to defer to foreign governments?
- UCI Law Press Release: Two UCI Law Faculty Members Appointed Associate Reporters for American Law Institute’s Restatements of the Law
- Article by Prof. Whytock cited in Supreme Court Ruling