The great international law scholar Louis Henkin passed away two days ago; for many decades he taught at Columbia Law School, which released a note from the dean on Professor Henkin’s passing. Over at Opinio Juris, Harold Koh, currently Legal Adviser to the State Department, has a lovely tribute to him. I have come not to share Lou’s views on some things related to international law and human rights, but that’s neither here nor there; Lou Henkin is one of the giants of international law and the human rights movement.
For me personally, however, what I will most recall about Louis Henkin is something altogether different. When my wife and I lived in New York, we would occasionally run into Lou and Alice Henkin, walking hand-in-hand along the streets of the Upper West Side near Columbia. It was this then middle-aged couple strolling hand in hand that always caught my wife’s attention, and mine; I hope we can be like that, said My Beloved Wife on one occasion. Ave atque vale. And deepest sympathies to Alice Henkin and all their family.
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