A former grand justice of the Judicial Yuan, the highest court in Taiwan, was sitting in the front row Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to hear argument in a politically sensitive case that drew dozens of observers.
D.C. solo Charles Camp, a specialist in international disputes, was arguing that the Taiwanese are entitled to U.S. constitutional rights because this country has exercised de jure sovereignty over Taiwan since the treaty ending World War II took effect. The San Francisco Peace Treaty says the U.S. is the principal occupying power, Camp argued, and no official act has terminated this position. Courts have power to interpret treaties, Camp said.
