The Legacy of Nuremberg: International Conference on the 80th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Judgment

On 1 October 1946 the Nuremberg Tribunal delivered its judgment, convicting leaders of Nazi Germany of war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Eighty years to the day, Case Western Reserve University School of Law opens a two-day international conference on what that judgment left behind.

Historians, international prosecutors, ambassadors and academics will trace the legacy of the Nuremberg Judgment from its application by the modern international tribunals to its bearing on contemporary events. The conference doubles as International Law Weekend Midwest 2026.

The conference is presented by the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cleveland, Ohio.

• Co-sponsored by the American Branch of the International Law Association
• Co-sponsored by the Robert H. Jackson Center
• Co-sponsored by the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center

• 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM: Screening of the film Nuremberg at the BakerHostetler Moot Courtroom, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM: Opening session at the Western Reserve Historical Society Crawford Automobile Museum, with a keynote by Jack El-Hai, screenwriter and co-producer of the 2025 film Nuremberg

All Friday sessions are held in the BakerHostetler Moot Courtroom at the School of Law.

• 8:30 AM: Welcome
• 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM: Panel I, The Nuremberg Trials: Foundational Concepts and Strategic Choices
• 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM: Panel II, Application of the Nuremberg Precedent by the Ad Hoc Tribunals
• 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM: Keynote lunch address by Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Branch of the International Law Association
• 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM: Panel III, Application of the Nuremberg Principles to Modern Day Atrocities
• 3:15 PM to 4:45 PM: Panel IV, Applying the Lessons of Nuremberg to Our Own Country
• 4:45 PM: Closing

The organisers state that the event is free and open to the public. There is no stated eligibility restriction, so law students, researchers, practitioners, academics and members of the public may register. Attendance is in person at Cleveland, Ohio; the organisers announce no online or streamed participation.

Registration is through the Case Western Reserve University law events portal. Registrants may sign up for all sessions together or pick individual components.

• All sessions: film screening, opening reception and conference
• 1 October: screening of the film Nuremberg, CWRU Law Moot Courtroom, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
• 1 October: opening session, Western Reserve Historical Society Crawford Automobile Museum, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• 2 October: conference, CWRU Law Moot Courtroom, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Every registration option is listed as free with unlimited availability. Registration opened on 22 April 2026 and closes on 2 October 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Attendance itself carries no fee. Continuing Legal Education credit is optional and separately priced: USD 100 for Case Western Reserve University law alumni and USD 200 for non-alumni. Six hours of CLE credit have been approved, for Friday 2 October only. The School of Law states that CLE registration will be made available during the event.

Sessions on 2 October and the film screening on 1 October are at the BakerHostetler Moot Courtroom, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, George Gund Hall, 11075 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44106. The opening session on the evening of 1 October is at the Western Reserve Historical Society Crawford Automobile Museum, Cleveland.