FORMER VISITING PROFESSOR ELECTED AS PEOPLE’S DEPUTY TO VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE
by William E. Butler, John Edward Fowler Distinguished Professor of Law
August 30, 2019 — Visiting research scholar programs pay dividends in unanticipated ways. On behalf of the Dickinson Law community, I extend our congratulations to Professor Dr. Alexander Merezhko on being elected as a people’s deputy to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (parliament) in July. Dr. Merezhko was a Visiting Professor at Dickinson Law during the 2000-2001 academic year under the Junior Faculty Development Program inaugurated by the late Emeritus Professor Louis del Duca. I first met Dr. Merezhko through my colleague, Professor of Law Katherine Pearson.
Upon returning to Ukraine, Dr. Merezhko successively defended his higher doctorate (LL.D.) and taught at universities in Ukraine, Poland, and India. He has published a number of major works in Ukraine on public and private international law, legal theory, and comparative jurisprudence, including several articles in journals associated with Dickinson Law through Professor Butler, the John Edward Fowler Distinguished Professor of Law (founding editor, Jus Gentium: Journal of International Legal History, 2016-; and founding co-editor, Journal of Comparative Law, 2005-).
Dr. Merezhko’s recent articles include “Petrazycki’s Psychological Theory of Law and Economy” in the Journal of Comparative Law (no. 1, 2019) and “Petrazycki’s Psychological Theory of Private International Law” in Jus Gentium (no. 1, 2019)—both pioneering pieces which introduce aspects of the noted Russo/Polish legal philosophyer Leon Petrazycki (1867-1931) to the English-speaking world. He also serves on the editorial board of Jus Gentium.
Last spring, Dr. Merezhko served as a senior advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Today, Dr. Merezhko is looking into the possible formation in Kyiv of an “American University of Ukraine” and is involved in various law reform exercises underway.
We look forward to inviting Dr. Merezhko back to visit when his schedule permits.