Professor Dodge Speaks to 'The World' About MBS' Immunity from Suit

On Sept. 29, Professor William S. Dodge spoke to the radio program The World about whether Muhammad bin Salman’s (MBS) appointment as prime minister of Saudi Arabia renders him immune from suit in U.S. courts for his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Dodge explained that as prime minister, MBS is now entitled to “head of state” immunity making him absolutely immune from suit, even for serious violations of human rights. Dodge has also written about the implications at the Transnational Litigation Blog (TLB).

Professor Dodge is Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law and John D. Ayer Chair in Business Law at UC Davis School of Law. He is a leading expert on international law, international transactions, and international dispute resolution and a founding editor of the Transnational Litigation Blog (TLB). He served as Counselor on International Law to the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State from 2011 to 2012 and as a reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement (Fourth) of Foreign Relations Law from 2012 to 2018. Professor Dodge is a co-author of Transnational Business Problems and Transnational Litigation in a Nutshell, and a co-editor of International Law in the U.S. Supreme Court: Continuity and Change, which won the American Society of International Law’s 2012 certificate of merit. He has authored more than 70 other publications in books and law reviews.