Once largely the stuff of science fiction, posthumous parenthood is now a scientific reality. Volume XLIX staff editor Shayna Altschuller explores one of the legal challenges that arise when a child is conceived after a parent’s death. With growing international use of posthumous assisted reproduction, U.S. and foreign inheritance laws sometimes leave these children in legal limbo. This post examines how jurisdictions like Israel, Ukraine, and the U.S. grapple with statutory recognition of posthumously conceived children -- and why legislative clarity is urgently needed.

In January 2026, the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and asserted control over Venezuela’s oil industry. Framed by U.S. officials as both a security and economic measure, the operation raises a fundamental question of international law: does the seizure and sale of another state’s natural resources constitute lawful asset enforcement, or an unlawful violation of state sovereignty?

On January 7, 2026, President Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a landmark climate treaty ratified by the Senate in 1992. The decision has reignited debate over whether a President may unilaterally withdraw from a Senate-approved treaty and what such action means for future U.S. participation in the Convention. In this post, Volume XLIX staff editor Alex Levine examines the legal uncertainty surrounding the withdrawal and the prospects for reentry.