Morse Tan

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Senior Executive Director - Center for Law and Government

Education

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 2001 (Dean’s List)
M.A., Wheaton Graduate School, 1998 (3.83 GPA)
B.A., Wheaton College, 1997 (National Merit Scholarship, Harvard Book Award)
Stanford University (credits earned and transferred)
Diploma, Menlo School, 1993 (graduated #1 in GPA and AP Honors Scholar)

Bar Admissions

Admitted, the Illinois Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar

Biography

Ambassador Morse H. Tan served as the first Asian-American Ambassador at Large in U.S. history, and he is currently the second Korean-American law school dean in the nation’s history.

A unique position in world history, Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice Tan pursued preventative, mitigating, and accountability-seeking justice throughout the world for mass atrocity crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The top policy position in the entire U.S. government in this area, Dean Tan advanced this mission in places such as Rwanda, Kosovo, Syria, Burma, China, Iraq, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Nagorno-Karabakh, North Korea, Sudan, Lebanon, and El Salvador.

The foremost legal scholar on North Korea, Tan published “North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises” (Routledge) and more law review articles on this subject than any other scholar. Named “Korean-American of the Year” and an “Emerging Leader” by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, he has participated in a range of media engagements, such as the National Law Journal and United Press International (UPI). His speaking invitations include Cornell Law School, the Tiffany Memorial Lecture, and the National Press Club.

As indicated by an expert reviewer, Tan’s seminal scholarship on compliance theory and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights paved the way for the convoy of such scholarship that followed. He personally interviewed Judges and former Judges of this Court as well as Commissioners of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. He provided the first written translation of some of the Court’s jurisprudence from Spanish to English. He and his moot court partner authored the model Memorial for their side of the argument in the Inter-American Moot Court finals.

A Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and the University of Texas Law School, Tan has worked in legal academia for close to two decades. His journey in legal academia started as a founding faculty member at the first American JD program in Asia, Handong International Law School.

Married to Dr. Sarah Tan, they raise four children: Hope, Enoch, Isaiah, and Moses. Tan enjoys tennis and had more opportunities than he deserved through playing the cello. Lastly but most importantly, he is an imperfect ambassador of Jesus, to Whom he belongs by His gracious mercy.

Areas of Interest/Teaching

Courses included: North Korea Seminar, International Criminal Law, International Human Rights, Public International Law, International Organizations, Bioethics Seminar, Bioethics and International Human Rights, Bioethics and Public Policy, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law I & II, Law and Contemporary Issues, Christianity and Law, as well as Independent Studies

Selected University Service and Activities

Selected Community Service

Selected Presentations

Tiffany Memorial Lecture, February 2022
“Pursuing Justice for Humans”, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Silver Anniversary Annual Conference (plenary speaker), June 2018
“Making His Story for Korea, the U.S. and the World”, Christian Legal Society, Chicago, Illinois, May 2018
“Multi-Valent Legal Accountability Regarding DPRK Human Rights”, University of Hawaii at Manoa, April 2018
“Resolving the North Korean Crises”, The Center for Faith, Politics and Economics, Wheaton College, February 2018
“Addressing the North Korean Crises”, Christian Legal Society, Washington D.C., February 2018
“A Strategy for Addressing North Korea”, Kiwanis, January 2018
Federalist Society Roundtable on Freedom of Assembly and Religious Liberty, North Carolina, October 2017
“Addressing North Korea For the Sake of Planet Earth”, NIU Notables Series, October 2017
Moderator at the Symposium “Contemporary Legal Issues of Korea and the U.S. in a Globalizing World”, St. Mary’s University Law School, San Antonio, Texas, August 2017
“Ideas Towards Resolving the North Korean Crises”, Glenview Hotel Banquet Hall, August 2017
“Crises of Nonintervention: The Gordian Knot of the DPRK and the Gushing Wound of Syria”, SEALS (Southeastern Association of Law Schools) Conference, Boca Raton, Florida, August 2017
“Jerusalem of the East No More”, DePaul University, April 2017.
“The Human Rights Crisis in North Korea”, The Chicago Art Institute, March 2017.
“Solving the North Korean Crises”, The University of St. Thomas (MN) Federalist Society, March 2017
“Taking IHI and R2P Seriously: North Korea as a Primary Consideration,” Cornell International Law Journal Symposium, Ithaca, New York, February 2017.
“Solving the North Korean Crises”, U.S. State Department, Washington D.C., January 2017
“Restoring the 10^thAmendment”, discussant with Prof. Richard Duncan, Federalist Society at NIU, January 2017
“Solving the North Korean Crises”, Korean-American Leadership Conference, Chicago, December 2016
Presented “Taking IHI and R2P Seriously: North Korea as a Primary Consideration” and served as the discussant for Prof. Alex Huneeus’ “Institutional Limits of Inter-American Constitutionalism” book chapter at the American Society of International Law’s International Law Forum at the University of Wisconsin Law School, September 2016
Presented at “U.S. Policy Toward North Korea – The Case for Instituting a More Effective, Human Rights-Centric Approach”, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Washington D.C., October 27, 2015.
“North Korea: Jerusalem of the East No More” at the Advocates International conference of attorneys in Capetown, South Africa, August 2015.
“Freedom of Conscience” roundtable hosted by the Federalist Society, Denver, Colorado, July 2015
Guest Speaker for Koinonia House, an outreach to former, current, and future prisoners as well as their families, July 2015
Guest Lecturer for two medical ethics classes, the University of Illinois Medical School, Spring 2015-2018
“Protecting Conscience”, Constitution Day, Wheaton College (IL), 2015
“Dilemmas and Difficulties in Thoroughly Corrupt Societies” and “The North Korean Human Rights Crisis”, at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools, Amelia Island, Florida, August 2014
“Rights and the Righteous One”, Constitution Day, Judson University, 2014
“The Syrian Humanitarian Crisis”, Chicago-Kent Law School, November 2013
Respondent regarding the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, October 2012 at Valparaiso Law School
“The Human Rights Crisis in North Korea”, sponsored by NIU College of Law Amnesty International Chapter, 2012
“Finding a Forum for North Korea,” presented at the Central States Law Schools’ Association annual conference, 2011
“The Legal Status of Drone Attacks” as a discussant with Prof. Turner of the of Virginia, 2011, Federalist Society at NIU

“A State of Rightlessness: the Egregious Case of North Korea”, presented in Athens, Greece at the Athens Institute for Education and Research Law Conference, 2010
“Compliance Theory and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights”, presented at Queens University Law School in Canada, 2007

Grants

Review Work

U.S. Supreme Court Cases

Languages, Travel, and Interests

Experience

Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice (2019-2021)

Successfully advocated for a 7031(c) public visa sanction for war criminal Shavendra Silva of Sri Lanka, called the biggest justice accomplishment
The top target of our War Crimes Rewards Program, Felicien Kabuga, the Rwandan genocide’s primary financier and inciter, was caught after 26 years
Oversaw efforts towards justice in the Balkans, including through the indictment of President Thaci
Supported the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which convicted Ayyash, the chief defendant before this court
Prepared most of the materials and lead the difficult process for the atrocity determinations against China, called the most important human rights achievement of the four-year term
Supported justice through Unitad, the IIIM, the IIMM for Iraq, Syria and Burma respectively
Spoke resolutely for justice and peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, with a cease fire ensuing the following week
Sought justice in the ICJ genocide case brought by the Gambia and the El Mozote massacre (the largest ever in Latin America)
Spearheaded the policy and reform efforts of the ICC, including with leadership from around a dozen member states
Affirmingly managed outstanding personnel and almost doubled the size of the office
Led in principled, persevering, and positive ways in complex and challenging contexts
Engaged in public diplomacy with a range of media sources and speaking venues, such as VOA, the National Press Club, the Lantos Commission, the Hill, the New York Times, and the Washington Post
Advocate for justice with, to give examples, Reuters, the Atlantic Monthly, Faith & Law, the U.S. Commission for North Korean Human Rights, Intercessors for America, Foundations of Freedom, the Council of American Ambassadors, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Notre Dame, the Heritage Foundation, State Department Appointees, and Our America CMC
Has served as a consultant with the One Korea Network
Served as a consultant with KFT Consulting and Foundations of Freedom as well as an expert witness for the Texas Justice Foundation

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

Visiting Scholar(2017-2018)

Northern Illinois University College of Law

Full Professor of Law (2016-2021, youngest at law school)
Associate Professor of Law (2011-2016)
Emerging Leader, Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2016-17
Korean American of the Year Award (2017), Korean American Society of Chicago
First Alternate, Madison Center Fellowship, Princeton University
Finalist, U.S. Supreme Court Fellowship

Florida Coastal School of Law

Associate Professor of Law (2009-2011)
Assistant Professor of Law (2008-2009)

The University of St. Thomas School of Law (MN)

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law (2006-2008)

The University of Texas at Austin Law School

Visiting Scholar and Senior Research Fellow (2004-2007)

Handong International Law School, Pohang, Korea (1st American JD program in Asia)

Founding Associate Professor of Law (2002-2004)

Legal and Investment

Morse Tan, Attorney and Counselor at Law (2005-2017)
Morse Tan, Investment Manager (2003-2018)
- Returns have exceeded the S&P 500 many years
Vice President (2004-6); Member (2001-2015) at SAM2 Technologies, LLC
Associate, Ross & Hardies, which became McGuireWoods (2001-2002)
Certified Mediator, Center for Conflict Resolution (2000-present)

Publications

A Comprehensive Strategy for Resolving the North Korean Crises, book contract offer from Carolina Academic Press
Taking IHI and R2P Seriously: North Korea as a Primary Consideration, 51 Cornell Int’l L. J. 3 (lead article, Winter 2018)
North Korea Now: Turning Point for a Regime of Rightlessness? in Routledge Handbook of Korean Culture and Society: A Global Approach(Routledge, December 2016)
North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement (book published by Routledge Press, April 2015)
International Humanitarian Law and North Korea: Another Angle forAccountability, 98 Marquette Law Review 3 (Spring 2015)
Finding a Forum for North Korea, 65 SMU Law Review 4 (lead article, Fall 2012)
A State of Rightlessness: The Egregious Case of North Korea chapter in the book International Law, Conventions and Justice, edited by Pro David Frenkel, LLD. (Fall 2011)
A State of Rightlessness: the Egregious Case of North Korea, 80 Mississippi Law Journal 20 (Winter 2010)
The North Korean Nuclear Crisis: Past Failures and Present Solutions,50 S Louis University Law Journal 2 (Winter 2006)
Advancing Civil Rights, the Next Generation: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and Beyond published in 19 Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine 1 (Winter 2009)
Purpose and Meaning in an Academic Calling chapter in the book The Truth That Makes Them Free, edited by Professor Emeritus Donald G. Davis, Jr
Upholding Human Rights in the Hemisphere: Casting Down Impunity Through the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, 43 Texas International Law Journal 2 (Spring 2008)
Member State Compliance with the Judgments of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, 33 Int’l J. Legal Info. 319 (2005).
The Jurisprudential Underpinnings of Law, Especially International Law: the Basis for True Progress & Reform 2 Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy 1 (lead article, Fall 2005)
Three pieces in the book Stones of Remembrance 2: Wheaton’s Living Stones, edited by Emily Louise Zimbrick
One piece in the book Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters, compiled by Lynn Buzzard