Dr. Michael Nesbitt, PhD
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Associate Professor
Faculty of Law
Phone number
Office: 403.220.2204
Location
Office: MFH4314
Media Contact:
Ali Abel
Manager, Marketing & Communications
amabel@ucalgary.ca
O: 403.210.8720
C: 403.630.1232
Background
Educational Background
SJD University of Toronto, 2013
LLM International Law, New York University School of Law, 2005
JD University of Ottawa, 2004
BA Commerce, Queen's University, 2001
Biography
Michael teaches and researches in the areas of criminal law, national security law, and international organizations and human rights. He engages regularly with the media on his areas of research, including writing comments for the Globe & Mail and the National Post, providing TV and radio interviews for the CBC, CTV, and other local, national and international broadcasters, and interviews with local and national newspapers and legal publications. Before joining the Faculty of Law in July 2015 he practiced law and worked on Middle East policy, human rights, international sanctions and terrorism for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs. Previously, he completed his articles and worked for Canada's Department of Justice, where his focus was criminal law. Michael has also worked internationally for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Appeals Chamber.
While completing his doctorate Michael was a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Scholar, executive editorial assistant to the University of Toronto Law Journal, and taught in the legal research and writing program.
Research Activities
Michael researches primarily in the areas of criminal law, national security law, and international organizations and human rights law. His specific focus is on the legality and efficiency of the processes and procedures of bodies within or created by governments – such as commissions of inquiry or specific government departments – that are involved in the investigation, evaluation or criminalization of wrongdoing. His current projects include exploring the development, implementation, and execution of national security law and the relationships between the actors involved in these processes.
Research
Areas of Research
Courses
Course number | Course title | Semester |
---|---|---|
LAW 410 | Crime: Law & Procedure | |
LAW 644 | National Security Law Lab | |
LAW 653 | Directed Research |
Publications
- "An Empirical Study of Terrorism Charges and Terrorism Trials in Canada between September 2001 and September 2018". Michael Nesbitt. Criminal Law Quarterly. (2018)
- "Prosecuting Terrorism in Canada: Elucidating the Elements of the Offences". Nesbitt, Michael and Hagg, Dana. Alberta Law Review. (2019)
- "Terrorism Sentencing Decisions in Canada since 2001: Shifting away from the fundamental principle and towards cognitive biases". Nesbitt, Michael and Oxoby, Robert J. and Potier, Meagan. UBC Law Review. (2019)
- Re-Purposing UN Commissions of Inquiry. Michael Nesbitt. Journal of International Law and International Relations (JILIR), Volume 13, No. 2. (2017)
- "Due Process in UN Commissions of Inquiry: A legal analysis of the procedures of Goldstone's Gaza Inquiry". Michael Nesbitt. 18 German Law Journal No. 1. (2017)
- "CSIS's New Disruptive Powers, Grey Holes, & the Rule of Law in Canada". Michael Nesbitt. Canadian Human Rights Yearbook, No. 1. (2015)
- "(Re-) Mapping the Congo, Circa 2010". Michael Nesbitt. 4:2 Rights Review. (2010)
- "Lessons from the Sam Hinga Norman Decision of the Special Court for Sierra Leone: How Trials and Truth Commissions Can Co-Exist". Michael Nesbitt. 8 German Law Journal. (2007)
- "The World Bank and De Facto Governments: A Critique of its Operational Policy and a Call for Transparency". Michael Nesbitt. 32 Queen's Law Journal. (2007)
- Panel member, "Counter-extremism in Canada and abroad". Philippe Kirsch Institute. (2017)
- Panel member, "Carding in Calgary: How Police Check-Ups Occur in Calgary and Why?". Rocky Mountain Civil Liberties Association. (2016)
- "Canada's 'Unilateral' Sanctions Regime under Review: Extraterritoriality, Human Rights, Due Process, and Enforcement in Canada's Special Economic Measures Act". Michael Nesbitt. Ottawa Faculty of Law Working Paper No. 2017-06. (2017)
In the News
- Terrorism peace bond placed on Ontario man for four years. Global News. (2021)
- Ontario man pleads guilty to trying to join ISIS, charges against wife to be dropped. Global News. (2021)
- Acquittal of Halifax man shows Canada’s economic sanctions are just ‘paper tigers,’ expert says. Global News. (2021)